C2F: Heartlink
by Kira Heartilly
Summary: OC Story: To train the best card designers, a new Academy opens up where students duel using the cards they've made. Naota and Hikaru thought they'd have a fun year making friends, creating cards, and dueling classmates, but instead they're caught up in one teacher's quest to create the ultimate monster cards. Contains LGBT themes.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX. Also if you are homophobic or transphobic this is your last chance to escape to safety. **

**Trigger Warnings: I haven't fully planned this story out but usually my stories include depictions of some violence, self-harm, abuse, and sometimes mentions of suicidal thoughts or attempts.**

**Note: Not ALL duels will focus on original cards. Sadly I am not **_**that creative.**_

**Also it's been a while since I've written duels, I feel super rusty but I think I can get back into this eventually. Wish me luck.**

* * *

><p>"Promise me you'll still call on the phone." Naota Yamaguchi tried to sound enthusiastic and upbeat, but that kind of acting proved to be far beyond the ten-year-old's capabilities. Naota and Yuu were best friends since the day they'd met, and now Yuu was moving away.<p>

The very thought of that was enough to shatter Naota's heart. The poor child hadn't slept well in days, often tossing and turning into the hours of the morning. What little sleep that did come often came with the accompaniment of the most sorrowful dreams.

Naota once dreamt of growing up without ever seeing Yuu again.

So as the snowfall gently covered Akimoto Park in a blanket of white, the two children pushed themselves on the swing, enjoying each other's company for what might be the last time. Naota struggled to keep up with Yuu, who easily swung high into the air despite being one year younger than his friend. Their relationship was like that a lot. Yuu always kept one step ahead of Naota. Once they bought a game on the same day. Yuu finished it weeks before Naota. Naota read a book in two days and leant it to Yuu, who finished it and returned it by that evening. And Naota had never once beaten Yuu at Duel Monsters.

But none of this ever put a single strain on their friendship.

Naota's gentle almond colored eyes peeked out from behind bangs of curly brown hair. Though Naota tried to force a smile for Yuu, there was no way to hide the welling tears. "I'll miss you."

Yuu brushed away a lock of his silver hair and smiled. "Of course I'll always call. We're best friends Ta-kun."

"I have something for you," said Naota. With as warm a smile as possible, Naota hopped off the swing and held something out. Yuu jumped off in midair and landed before Naota.

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"Well I didn't really _get _it." Naota dropped a star shaped silver necklace into Yuu's gloved hand. "It's just something I had on me."

"But this is," Yuu's voice froze, his words hanging on the bitter wind. "Didn't your dad say you're supposed to save this and give it to somebody you really like?" Yuu held the necklace in his hand, unable to take his eyes off it.

"I really like you."

Children laughed and played on the equipment all around them, running up the stairs, swinging from the monkey bars, and racing down the slides. They threw snowballs and built snowmen. Their parents cheered them on or scolded them for not listening. Naota's brother chatted with his girlfriend a few feet away, trying to earn himself a kiss.

'Thank you so much, Ta-kun." Said Yuu as he put on the necklace. "It's beautiful." His eyes lit up like starlight. "Hey, Ta-kun, do you have your cards with you?"

"Uh huh. My brother's holding it," said Naota, running off quickly.

Yuu smiled as he headed toward the parking lot. "Hey, Mr. Murata," he called out to a man dressed in formal black attire, sitting within a long black limo. "I'm going to give Naota the present now."

Mr. Murata smiled as he stepped out of the limo and opened the door. "I am sure Naota will love it, Master Akimoto."

Yuu hopped inside the car and nearly tripped on landing. With a quick pin wheeling motion he maintained his balance as he shoved something on one arm and grabbed a medium sized box with the other. It was wrapped in green wrapping paper and a red ribbon. "Thank you so much Mr. Murata!"

Yuu returned to the park and found his friend sitting by a bench. "Hey where'd you go?" Naota asked him with a smile. "I was worried I lost you." Snow fell on Naota's hair and quickly melted, dripping down his face like tears.

Yuu adjusted his ski cap and smiled. "Just had to get you this," he said as he handed Naota a box, careful to keep his left arm hidden. "Happy Birthday. I know it's a little early but I wanted to give it to you now."

Naota vigorously tore the wrapping paper off with a smile. "Thanks Yuu," said Naota, throwing all the garbage into a nearby trashcan. Naota removed the last of the wrapping and gasped. "You didn't have to get me a Duel Disk!"

"But you've always wanted one," said Yuu. "And I figure we should duel this way at least once." Yuu revealed his left arm, already equipped with a Duel Disk of his own. "So let's play!"

Naota smiled, putting on the Duel Disk with enthusiasm and shuffling the cards with a smile. The two duelists smirked as their Duel Disks whirred to life and their Life Point counters climbed. "You can have the first move," Yuu announced.

The other children got off the playground and gasped in unison as they saw the duel beginning. Some of them had their own Duel Disks, but many did not. An actual hologram duel was a rare sight for them to behold. Sure you could see them on TV at any time, but to watch one up close in real life! Many were jealous.

"Mommy, I want a Duel Disk!"

"I wonder what kind of cards they use."

"Oh wow, they're so young. I wonder if they're any good."

Naota's brother Dai stopped making out with his girlfriend so he could watch his sibling duel. "Hey Skye, you like Duel Monsters right. This is going to be pretty fun." Dai smirked. "Wait until you see Yuu's deck."

Naota drew six cards and smiled. "I summon Sylvan Flowerknight," Naota said, placing a card on the field. A young brown haired teen wearing bright golden armor and a green plant like cape. (1800/1000) "Flowerknight allows me to excavate a card from the top of my deck," said Naota, grabbing a card and revealing it to Yuu. "If it's a plant it goes to the graveyard. If not it goes to the bottom of my deck. And the card I excavated is Sylvan Flowerknight and I get to activate my card's other effect. I can take one Sylvan monster from my deck and place it on the top of my deck, so I choose Sylvan Bladefender!" Naota grabbed two cards from his hand. "I'll set these cards face down and end my turn."

Yuu drew a new card and smiled. "I summon Shizen Link- Courage Terrier!" (1200/800) Yuu announced as an adorable dog with brown and white fur appeared at his feet and dashed around the field barking happily. Yuu bent over to pet his new card before grabbing a spell. "Next I activate the spell card Link Summon. This turn, if I summoned one of my S Link cards, I can Special Summon another one of an equal or lower level from my hand. So come on out, Shizen Link Inaba Cottontail!" (700/500) Yuu summoned an adorable white rabbit with fluffy cotton fur.

The rabbit hopped up and down and happily clapped its hands. Some of the children pointed and squealed with delight. "Now their effects kick in. These S Links get power based on the other S Links in play. Level 4 and lower cards like Inaba and Courage get half the original attack of the strongest S Link on my field, so long as that S Link is Level 5 or lower and is a different card." Yuu noticed some confusion in the audience. "So Inaba gets half of Courage Terrier's attack and vice versa!"(1300/500) (1550/800) "Next I use Inaba's effect. While he can't attack directly like his Spirit counterpart, but I can give up his attack for the turn to weaken one of your monsters by half the attack of an S Link I control!"

Inaba Cottontail hopped toward Sylvan Flowerknight and bopped his foe on the head with a cartoonish mallet. Flowerknight spun around feeling dizzy. (1025/1000) "Now Courage Terrier attacks your Sylvan Flowerknight! And as you know, his effect protects me from your traps!"

The tiny dog let out a bark as it charged forward and flipped through the air, landing on Sylvan Flowerknight with enough force to destroy the opposing monster. Naota's Life Points trickled slightly, but not enough to cause any serious alarm just yet.

**Naota: ****3475**

"Next I'll set two cards and end my turn."

Naota reached for the next card and grinned. "Welcome out Sylvan Bladefender," Naota cried out, summoning forth a new plant warrior. (1900/700) "Now it's time for the duel to really get started!"

It was a fierce duel, Naota threw forth everything a Sylvan deck had to offer. The crowd cheered for the two duelists and both duelists smiled. But in the end it wasn't enough. Yuu smiled as his trap card wiped away Naota's field. "And now go, Shizen Link S. Wolf! Attack him directly!" Yuu cried out. A tiny wolf cub with silver fur dashed forward and took a running leap at Naota's stomach, bringing the duelist's Life Points to 0.

**Naota: 0**

"Hahaha that was fun Yuu." Said Naota as the holograms vanished. "I wish we could do this again someday."

"I know I'll be moving far away, but I promise I'll come visit sometime." Yuu said. "So make sure you practice!

"Are you sure you can make it?"

"Of course. We're best friends aren't we!" Said Yuu.

Years passed and Naota never saw Yuu Akimoto again.

* * *

><p><strong>Original Cards<strong>

**Shizen Link Courage Terrier **

Earth/Beast

(3) 1200/800

This card gains Attack Points equal to half the highest Original Attack of a level 5 or Lower Shizen Link monster you control other than this card. Your opponent may not activate Trap Cards in response to this card's attack or the attack of any S Link monster with equal or less Attack than S Link Courage Terrier.

_A cute little terrier with white and brown fur._

**Shizen Link Inaba Cottontail **

Earth/Beast

(3) 700/500

This card gains Attack Points equal to half the highest Original Attack of a level 5 or Lower Shizen Link monster you control other than this card. Once per turn select one monster your opponent controls and reduce its Attack by this card's Attack. Then if you control another Shizen Link monster, you may reduce the targeted monster's Attack by one half the Attack of another Shizen Link monster you control.

_An adorable bunny with fluffy white fur like cotton._

**Link Summon**

Spell

If you Normal Summoned an S Link monster this turn you may Special Summon from your hand or Graveyard an S Link monster with equal or less attack.

_Inaba Cottontail hopping after a butterfly._

**Author's Notes: For this story I will **_**not**_** be using the real world ban list. Most cards will use their real life effects though some will maintain their anime effects if they work better.**


	2. Linked Hearts

**Chapter 1: Linked Hearts**

**First real chapter. First real duel. It's a little quick as are the first few of this story, hopefully I can get more into the swing of things later on.**

* * *

><p>"<em>Hey you nervous?"<em>

"_Nah, this test is gonna be a piece of cake."_

"_I heard some of the teachers are really good."_

"Didn't one of them design the Volthunder cards?"

There were a few students here and there across the mostly empty auditorium. The normal entrance exams to the academy wouldn't start for another hour and forty-five minutes, but a few students had to be there ahead of time. Including one Naota Yamaguchi.

The large building could accommodate a crowd of 30,000, and every year the entrance exam saw this place filled to the brim. Only natural, of course. After all there were a ton of schools where you could learn to play Duel Monsters. This was the only academy _to let students create their own cards. _And students from all over the world vied for the chance to get in.

Yet only a few thousand applicants ever made it in. Most would fail this exam and try to get in someplace else. If they were lucky they could make it into Duel Academy or some other school dedicated to the art of dueling. Others still, were even more unfortunate and would end up in a regular High School. Sweat dripped down Naota's forehead. Despite being dressed in a red hoodie and blue jeans, Naota still felt like the AC had been set to arctic.

"Hikaru, what if I don't get in?" Naota asked.

Hikaru, Naota's cousin, was a young woman with shoulder length blonde hair. She was slim and slender though her build was slightly more athletic than her cousin's. While Naota had a very slender body that bordered on scrawny, she looked fit, like a cheerleader. She wore a bright pink T-shirt the color of peonies and a short black mini skirt with gym shorts underneath.

Hikaru rolled her eyes and sighed. "Naota, don't worry about it. You'll do fine. You're a good duelist and I've seen you play with your deck enough to know that you've got enough talent to pass the exams. It's not like the Professors are allowed to go all out anyway."

Naota sighed. "I guess you're right. I'm just scared."

The walls of the auditorium were dark, a very plain gray color like stone. It made the entire place feel like a foreboding dungeon, holding everybody's dreams captive. Naota's heart started to race. What if the test too hard? What if the duel went bad? Naota wanted to vomit.

"Calm down Naota," Hikaru said. "Everything's going to be okay."

Their feet clacked down the steps. Naota nearly slipped on one step but Hikaru caught her cousin quickly. A young woman sat behind a small wooden desk with stacks of paper on either side of her. She had long green hair and wore a white blazer over a white blouse and white pants. She had her head down and drummed her fingers on the table. She seemed to be muttering something under her breath. "Jesus you kids are early. Don't you have video games to be playing?"

Naota held back as Hikaru quickly approached the teacher. "Hello, my name is Hikaru Reinhardt and this is my cousin Naota Yama,"

The woman's head shot up before Hikaru could finish. "Oh yes, Naota Yamaguchi, correct. We've heard a lot about you young m, young one." She covered her mouth. "Forgive me. Your application indicated that you are bigender, correct?"

"Yes," Naota nodded. "But I usually go with male pronouns unless I feel like presenting as a female." He smiled for once. "Thanks. I'm really surprised this school is so inclusive. Well, no I'm not, but it's really making me happy."

"Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Morrigana, head teacher of the White Dorm. It's the highest ranking dorm for first and second years, surpassed only by the Black Dorm, which only permits third years." She said. "I have my fingers crossed you two will be accepted."

"Thanks," said Hikaru. "My cousin is really nervous but I'm sure we'll do well. I don't mean to sound cocky, but we've been practicing all vacation long." She laughed. "I can't wait to get our new cards though. I worked hard making them."

"Yes I've seen your cards. The Maho Shojous correct? They look wonderful. Spellcasters are quite popular aren't they?" Morrigana turned to Naota. "And you, young man. Your Lunarian deck is quite unusual but very exciting. Not many people go that route. You actually remind me of the Dragon King. I'm sure you two will be great friends if you ever meet him!"

"Dragon King?" Naota asked, his interest piqued. Dragons were really popular and he was certain many people would be making more dragons at the academy, along with warriors and Spellcasters, but the idea of a Dragon King was something worth looking into.

"Yes, he's a third year White Dorm student. Well, he's probably going to be promoted to the Black Dorm soon. I must say I will miss him quite a bit. But I will of course be happy for him. What teacher doesn't want the best for their students?" Morrigana smiled. "Now, I recall you said you were nervous, right Naota? Then how about I give you a gift?" She reached for the purse at her feet and pulled out a small white deck case. Flipping through the cards, she came to the one she wanted. "I designed it myself." She said as she handed Naota the card. "A few years back. It's helped me through a few tight spots. It was recently approved by Industrial Illusions and will be mass produced in a future Booster Pack. But right now, it's the only one of its kind in the world, not that this is anything new to you from what I hear."

"Thanks," said Naota as he took the card. A jolt ran through his spine. "I'm sure it will go great in my deck, I can feel it already." He smiled as he stared at Professor Morrigana's nose. "I wish I could do something to thank you."

"Just do your best in class and that will be thanks enough." Morrigana said with a smile. "Now why don't you take a seat for now and relax. The exam isn't for ages and it will do you no good to let your nerves get the best of you. Just relax and I am sure you'll be fine."

"Thanks again," said Naota as he skipped up the stairs with his cousin following close behind.

"Hey be careful," Hikaru warned him, "you don't want to trip."

Morrigana laughed. "Well, I better go tell the others that he's here."

* * *

><p><strong>~xXx~<strong>

Another room stood behind a small door at the back of the auditorium. The door yawned open with a creak and Morrigana stepped inside with a frown on her face. Several other teachers and volunteer students sat around a desk filled with cookies, cakes, doughnuts and other snacks. She smelled warm coffee brewing in the corner. "So, Naota Yamaguchi and Hikaru Reinhardt just showed up."

Several heads turned in excitement. They all knew that Naota and Hikaru were coming, but still the thought was exciting. "Looks like we're in for an interesting semester," said a black woman with long curly hair. She wore a silver blouse and black dress pants. "The Dragon King and Thunder Empress are in their third year so they'll probably be promoted to Black Dorm. The Princess is finally old enough to attend classes. And now Naota and Hikaru are finally showing up."

"Remind me again why we're making those two take the exam," Morrigana moaned as she rubbed her temples. "It's already been decided that _we're letting them in no matter what. _Why are we making more work for ourselves?"

"We still need to determine their Dormitory Rankings," said the black woman. "Besides, don't you want to see Naota's deck?"

"There will be plenty of time for that later, Hawthorne. Students don't get their new decks for a few days and he'll probably use his current deck for plenty of duels even after he gets his new deck." Morrigana sighed. She sat at an empty chair and began spreading cream cheese on a raisin bagel.

"Awww, where's your sense of adventure?" Hawthorne teased. "There's just so much to look forward to this year. I for one can't wait to see him clash with the Princess. You know she's looking forward to it. I'm surprised she didn't come here to challenge him right now."

"You know she doesn't like an audience." Morrigana sighed. She sighed a lot actually. Some of the staff members joked that if you ever needed to find Morrigana, you listened for the sound of somebody sighing. "She'll probably duel him in private when nobody else is watching."

"Do you think he can sense duel spirits?" Asked a young man with light brown skin and black hair. He wore a gray suit jacket over his white dress shirt and gray pants.

"Not sure, Ho'omalu. I gave him a card with a spirit attached to it and he seemed to react to it, but he didn't quite notice the spirit," said Morrigana. "It seems he has latent abilities. Hopefully they will awaken at the academy." She grabbed another bagel.

* * *

><p>Naota sighed as he slammed his book shut. "I can't focus, it's too noisy," he whispered to Hikaru. He stuffed his copy of <em>Koukon Bridge <em>into his backpack. A few more seats had filled, but most were still empty. The quiet chatter rang in Naota's head, giving him a headache.

"Why don't you listen to some music instead?" Hikaru suggested as she flipped through the pages of her own book, _Butterfly Wednesdays. _It was not quite what she'd been hoping for. "Or you can duel somebody to pass the time."

Naota looked around at the other students. Most of them seemed to be either surfing the web on their smart phones, studying for their test, or talking to friends. "They all look pretty busy."

A few students doodled away in art books and Naota sighed. "Is something the matter?" Asked a voice from behind him.

Naota spun and saw a pale yet beautiful young woman looking at him. Long blonde hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. She wore elegant clothing, a black dress with white lace and blood red ribbons. She wore a red bonnet and carried a red purse at her side. The total effect was stunning, black and white with just a splash of color to draw attention. Naota was in awe.

"My name is Cadence." She said. "Cadence Zweilicht. Forgive me for intruding, but something seems to be troubling you. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Oh thanks, but I'm fine," said Naota, staring at the floor. "I'm just sad because everybody here seems to be great at drawing. Most of my art sucks. My motor skills aren't really the greatest for holding art tools."

"I understand." Said Cadence. "Fret not. The school will take care of it. Students who can't draw for themselves are still allowed to come up with card effects and other students will handle the art for them. They even offer extra credit for it. I myself have also made it a personal vow to help those in need of artistic talents. If there is anything you would like me to draw for you, then please let me know!"

"Thanks but I don't want to be a bother," said Naota. "What about you? You look somewhat distressed."

"I've heard troubling news. A boy from my old school said he may be applying here. He is quite a," she paused, "a trouble maker and a nuisance. If you ever meet a boy named Izuru I suggest you run away from him as fast as you can. He's nothing but a pest. If I had my way I'd have him sent to therapy for rehabilitation."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Naota. "Oh I never introduced myself. I am Naota Yamaguchi and this is my cousin Hikaru Reinhardt!"

Cadence curtseyed. "It's a pleasure to meet you both. I hope we can all make it in so we can be friends. Although," she gave Naota an odd look. "Forgive me for prying but your name sounds familiar. Naota Yamaguchi. You wouldn't happen to have made the news anytime in the past."

Naota shook his head. "Nope, I'm just an ordinary average teen."

"Well, I came here early to make sure I had everything in order, but I'm a bit famished. I'm heading off to _Moink _to go get a snack. Would you like to accompany me?" Cadence asked.

"No thank you," said Naota. "I'm too nervous to eat."

"I had lunch before I came," said Hikaru with a chuckle. "Although I must admit I'm surprised. When you said you were famished I imagined you'd be going to some high class place, not a fast food restaurant."

Cadence giggled. "I know it may seem silly, but I do love all sorts of food. Besides, Moink has the most delicious parfaits imaginable and they have a good track record with promoting equality. They pay their employees well too. I guess that's what you should expect from a company owned by the Akimoto Family. They're really on top of this kind of thing."

"Yeah," Naota said, staring at his feet.

"Well, I am off, see you later." Cadence waved as she walked backward out the door.

Naota sank into his chair and pulled out his phone, plugging in his headphones so he could listen to the new Hazuki/Zer0 album.

_**Every day**_

_**I feel the fading memory**_

_**And a string of fate**_

_**Isn't enough to keep me believing**_

_**I guess fairy tales are silly**_

_**I won't get my happy ending**_

_**And this is my penalty**_

_**For pretending**_

"Will everyone taking the early exams please report to the bottom of the auditorium. A test proctor will hand you your test and lead you to the exam site." Said a man's voice on the PA. Naota pulled out his headphones just in time to hear. He turned to Hikaru with a nervous smile.

"I think I'll be okay," he said.

Hikaru smiled at her cousin. "I'm sure you can do it, Naota."

* * *

><p><strong>~xXx~<strong>

Naota walked down to the bottom of the steps as did a few other students, but most remained in their seats chattering nervously to themselves. Some wondered why there were early exams while others didn't care. Naota avoided eye contact with anybody until he got to the bottom of the steps, where Professor Morrigana handed him a sheet of paper. "Good luck," she told him.

"Now will everybody follow me," said a Hawaiian man as he proceeded to a small door near the back of the room. It was a separate door from the one leading to the teacher's lounge. This one opened up to reveal a small room with thirty or so chairs each fitted with its own desk. "You will each have an hour to complete your exam. After you are done, please turn it in to me. You will then be allowed to duel one of the instructors or a high ranking student from school. The duels will take place in the auditorium unless you have made an advanced request to duel in private, in which case you will have your duels in here." The teacher smiled. "You may begin."

Naota looked over the test questions.

_1. Your opponent controls a Jinzo equipped with Amplifier, a Swords of Revealing Light that will last one more turn, a face down card in their spell/trap zone, and a Wave Motion Cannon that has just been played. You have 2000 Life Points, a Dark Magician on the field, and a Mystical Space Typhoon in your hand. Which card, if any, do you destroy with Mystical Space Typhoon and why?_

_2. Your opponent controls a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon equipped with a Megamorph. They have 1000 Life Points and you have 2000. You have three cards in your hand and none on the field. Your deck and graveyard are empty. Describe a scenario in which you can use these three cards to destroy your opponent's Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon and inflict enough damage to win this duel._

The next few were puzzle duels, describing the cards on the field in such a way that you needed to win in one turn. Next were questions asking about the effects of certain cards. One question asked '_Which card is better, Magic Jammer or Magic Drain and why?' _

Naota scribbled away furiously. His heart beat nervously. _'I think I can do this,' _he told himself.

Back in the teacher's lounge all the instructors were enjoying more snacks before the duels began. Hawthorne told the others about all the amazing card ideas she'd seen form the students, _Pyronians, Spellicans, Poes, _and countless others. Morrigana shared none of this enthusiasm and instead complained about the countless archtypes that lacked any originality. _Deathsworns, Blacksworns, Darksworns, Graysworns, Whitewings, Lightwings,_ _Holywings_, _another set of_ _Darksworns,_ and _fourteen kinds of Exodias_.

"Awww, don't be so hard on them," said Hawthorne. "Just because lots of people have the same idea doesn't mean they can't all try their best with it." She offered Morrigana a bottledwater. "So, the early exams are soon. You gonna duel any of the students?"

"I'm going to let the others handle this for now. I never had much fun using these test decks. They're way too dull for me." Morrigana sighed loudly.

"I agree. That's why I'm not using them," said Hawthorne with a chuckle. Morrigana gave her companion a look. "I asked the Chancellor for permission to duel Naota with my real deck. Since he's being let in anyway it doesn't matter if he wins his duel or not."

Morrigana convulsed. "WHAT!" She shouted. "You've got to be, there's no way Naota can handle you using your best deck! You've got to be kidding me. What's the Chancellor thinking?" Morrigana slammed her hand down and glared at Hawthorne.

"Hey, calm down. Like I said. Naota gets in either way so the outcome doesn't matter." Hawthorne protested. "Everything is going to be okay."

"Do you have any idea how nervous that kid is? He's going to be dueling in front of an audience and you're going to humiliate him!" Morrigana took a deep breath and rubbed the sides of her head with both hands. "If that's going to be his first experience at this academy it could have a horrible impact on his self-esteem for the rest of the semester."

"He'll be fine. Learning how to lose is an important part of being a duelist, after all," said Hawthorne. An alarm beeped on the PA. "Oh looks like one of the students is done." She stood up with a smile.

* * *

><p><strong>~xXx~<strong>

Naota finished his test up early and handed it over to the teacher. "Please return to the main auditorium," said the man. "Good luck on your duel."

Naota's legs felt like Giant Soldiers of Stone as he wobbled back through the door. A beautiful young woman greeted him with a smile. "Hello, you can call me Professor Hawthorne. You must be Naota Yamaguchi."

"Yes ma'am." Said Naota, looking at the professor's feet. He quickly glanced at the crowd. There weren't many students, just about thirty or so, but all eyes were on him. He saw Hikaru giving him a thumb's up and he saw Cadence waving at him, mouthing something he was certain would be encouraging if he could only read lips.

"Would you like to make the first move or the second?"

Naota shuffled his deck and slipped it into his Duel Disk. Though he'd had it modified to fit his arm, it was still the very same Disk Yuu had given him all those years ago. Along with one other parting gift. "I'll go first," said Naota as he drew six cards.

"I normal summon Shizen Link Plumericat," said Naota as a black and white cat appeared at his feet. She had a purple flower crown and wing like leaves on her back. (1000/1000) "Next I activate the Spell Link Summon to bring out Shizen Link Princex Hibiscus," (800/500) Noata said as an androgynous plant person appeared on his field. They wore an orange dress and had a round face with a crown of flowers on their head. "Now my S Links power each other up." (1300/500) (1400/1000) "On their own they're weak but they gain half the attack of one S Link other than themselves. Level 4 and lower monsters can draw strength from monsters up to Level 5! I set a card and end my turn." A face down card materialized on Naota's field.

"Yes, I've heard that your S Links can all power each other up. Too bad for you I'm going to have to cut your deck down to size," Hawthorne said as she drew a card. "I summon Volthunder Pixie to the field in attack mode." (1400/1100) A yellow pixie with lemon colored hair and a neon dress darted onto the field. "Destroy the Princex!"

"_S Link?"_

"_What are those?"_

"_They sound pretty powerful."_

Volthunder Pixie flew forward and smashed through Naota's Princex, but he didn't let it phase him. "When Princex is destroyed I can Special Summon a Level 3 or lower S Link monster from my deck, so I bring out S Link Courage Terrier!" (1200/800)- (1700/800) Plumericat let out a mew as she grew stronger. (1600/1000)

**Naota: 3900**

"Now Volthunder Pixie's effect activates. Whenever you perform a Special Summon, she inflicts 300 damage and gains a Volthunder Counter worth 300 Attack Points!" (1700/1100) The Pixie snapped her fingers and brought down a bolt of lightning upon Naota.

**Naota: 3600**

"I'll set two cards and end my turn."

Naota drew his next card and smiled. "I'll set this card face down and activate my face down Miracle Beanstalk This card allows me to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or Lower Plant from my graveyard. Its effect is negated but its attack is doubled during the turn it's summoned! So welcome back my Princex!" (800/500)-(1600/500)

More lightning fell upon Naota as Volthunder Pixie's attack grew. (2000/1100)

**Naota: 3300**

"Next I activate the Spell Card Seeds of Friendship. This banishes a Level 4 or Lower Plant S Link from my deck, thus planting a seed. Next turn the seed blossoms and I can Special Summon that monster. So I pick S Link Gardenia!"

Naota smiled as all his cards frolicked together. "Now, Princex, attack that Pixie." Naota's Princex Hibiscus raised a storm of petals that flew toward Volthunder Pixie, only to collide with a totem pole and hit the ground. "Command Silencer negates your attack and allows me to draw a card."

"I end my turn, and my prince is destroyed again," said Naota as his Princex Hibiscus vanished in a storm of petals.

Hawthorne drew, bringing her hand back to five cards. "Careful Naota, running out of cards early on is a major disadvantage. It means you'll be stuck in a top decking situation too often. I summon Volthunder Unicorn!" (1700/1500) A yellow unicorn galloped onto the field. She had a metal horn shaped like a lightning bolt. "Now, Volthunder Pixie, destroy Plumericat!"

Volthunder Pixie sent forth burst of lightning that arced along the ground. Plumericat mewed in fear, but Naota swung his hand out. "I activate Floral Shield!" A storm of petals knocked away the electricity. "This negates your attack and allows me to draw a card."

The unicorn stomped her hoof and shot a bolt of lightning at Naota.

**Naota: 3000**

"Volthunder Unicorn doesn't like it when you activate traps during the battle phase. So you lose 300 Life Points and she gains a Volthunder Counter!" (2000/1500) "Now, for a lesson. A card like Floral Shield should have been saved for a bigger attack. You are still going to lose your Plumericat!" Hawthorne pointed at Naota's kitten. "Go, my unicorn, trample her!"

Plumericat shattered into tiny pixels as Courage Terrier let out a mournful howl. (1200/800)

**Naota: 2600**

"I end my turn."

Naota drew and looked over the three cards in his hand. "Let's welcome Shizen Link Gardenia to the field!" (1200/1000)- (1800/1000) Gardenia was a humanoid plant with a multicolored dress and flowers in her long auburn hair.

Volthunder Pixie zapped Naota again. (2300/1100)

**Naota: 2300**

Naota fell to his knees and struggled to support himself.

"You're down to almost half your Life Points and you haven't touched mine yet, Naota. I'll tell you what. I'm using a deck that's much better than the one I'm meant to use for the entrance exam. I did this on the agreement that as long as you did well, you could still get in, even if you lost. You're doing okay, so how about we call it quits and you can still get into this school?" Hawthorne offered.

"_Wow, no wonder he's losing so badly."_

"_This duel is kind of boring."_

"_Well what do you expect."_

"N-no," said Naota as he wobbled to his feet. "I owe it to this deck to be the best Duelist that I can. I'll do better than this. In fact, I promise that I can win."

"Your two monsters have 1800 Attack points and mine both have over 2000. You'll need to summon something a lot stronger if you want to break through my defenses." Hawthorne pointed out. "You could always do a tribute summon, but that means losing some of your resources. And Special Summons are going to activate my Pixie's effect."

"I activate the effect of my Gardenia. Once per turn I can Special Summon a Level 3 or Lower S Link from my graveyard, so I bring back Plumericat!"(1000/1000) – (1600/1000)

Volthunder Pixie zapped Naota once more as she grew stronger from the Special Summon. (2600/1100)

**Naota: 2000**

"Plumericat is a Tuner. Since she is level 3 I can tune her with my Level 3 Gardenia to Synchro Summon a Level 6 Synchro!" Courage Terrier lost his glow (1200/800) as his allies vanished into a portal of stars. "The profound bonds of nature give birth to a shining miracle. Blossom forth from the garden of my soul. Synchro Summon Shizen Link Lycoris!" (2300/2000)-(2900/2000) "She is a Level 6 so Courage Terrier can't get an attack boost from her, but she can get one from him." Lycoris had a red dress and long flowing red hair. She had twigs for arms and a stem for a body, with roots pouring out from beneath her dress.

"Don't forget about my Pixie!" (2900/1100)

**Naota: 1700**

Naota gnashed his teeth. "Plumericat's effect activates. When she is used to Synchro Summon an S Link monster, I can negate that card's destruction once, so I attack your Pixie with my Lycoris!" Lycoris threw out a storm of petals at the Pixie who countered with a blast of lightning. Lycoris fell to the ground but quickly recovered. The Pixie was not so lucky and she shattered into a thousand pieces.

"Now I bet you're wondering why I waited so long to bring out Lycoris!" Naota smirked. "I activated the Quick Play Spell Cherry Blossom Finale! When a Plant S Link I control destroys a monster in battle, you take damage equal to half that monster's attack!"

**Hawthorne: 2150**

"You waited to destroy my monster so you could inflict damage to my Life Points? You could have been whittling them away all this time while protecting your monsters." Hawthorne scolded Naota.

"I combo it with Pride Howl. When a monster of yours is destroyed I can choose a Beast Type S Link and double its attack until the end phase, at the cost of halving all damage it inflicts." Courage Terrier let out a howl as his attack doubled. (2400/800) "Now destroy that Unicorn!"

**Hawthorne: 1950**

"I end my turn and my Lycoris' effect activates, inflicting 800 damage to the both of us!" Said Naota as countless petals swarmed the field.

**Naota: 900**

**Hawthorne: 1150**

"_I guess he has some decent moves after all."_

"_It'd suck if such a rare deck got stuck with somebody who could never use them"_

Hawthorne drew a card and smiled. "Looks like this is the end. I activate my face down Call of the Haunted to revive Volthunder Pixie!" (1400/1100) "And I chain that with Inferno Reckless Summon, bringing out two more Pixies from my deck!"(1400/1100) Two new Pixies join their friend. "Now you must choose a monster you control and Special Summon all copies of it from your hand, deck, or graveyard."

"Well, seeing as each monster I special summon this way will cost me 900 Life Points, I choose Lycoris." Naota cringed. His muscles ached. It hurt to breathe.

"_Okay I take it back, the kid is screwed."_

"_Hawthorne is really good."_

"I'll Normal Summon Volthunder Soldier in attack mode!" (1800/1300) Said Hawthorne as a soldier in golden armor appeared. He carried a golden sword that he pointed at Courage Terrier. "Now, go, attack his puppy!" Volthunder Soldier sliced through Courage Terrier and brought Naota to his knees. "Next I activate the spell card Thunder Burst! This is Continuous Spell that inflicts 300 points of damage whenever you destroy a Thunder Type monster." Hawthorne smiled. "And finally, I'll end this turn with Swords of Revealing Light to halt all your attacks for the next several turns."

Naota fell to his knees just as the swords fell around him. He felt the eyes burning into his soul. Everybody watching him. He had to make a good impression. He had to do well. He couldn't fail, not here.

The power went out.

"_Hey, what's going on?"_

"_Did something happen?"_

Everybody turned their attention away from the duel for a second. Naota took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He drew a card and returned to his feet. Somehow, in the dark, he felt a bit better. Though it was hard to see in the dark, the Swords of revealing Light offered just enough illumination to make out his new card.

"I summon Ribbon Kuriboh in defense mode!" (300/200) Said Naota as a Kuriboh with a bright red ribbon appeared. Naota felt a warmth wash over him, like a friend had joined his side.

"Odd, I've never heard of that monster. Did you just add it to your deck?" Asked Hawthorne.

Light flooded the room as Naota smiled. "I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Courage Terrier in Attack Position!" (1200/800) Naota's dog barked happily even as lightning fell around him. Ribbon Kuriboh danced around and laughed as he diverted the lightning. "Did I mention Ribbon Kuriboh prevents you from inflicting effect damage on my turn! And here's the best part, he makes an amazing draw engine. Every time he protects me I draw a card. And you just tried to damage me three times!"

"What?" Hawthorne gasped. Her three Pixie's grew stronger, but the news still astounded her. (1700/1100) "So every time you Special Summon a monster, you get to draw three cards?"

"That's right! Next I activate Call of the Wolf. When I control a Beast Type S Link I can Special Summon another Beast Type S Link from my deck with equal or lower attack, so welcome out Inaba Cottontail!" (700/500)-(1100/500) Ribbon Kuriboh giggled as it danced in the lightning.

The pixies all fumed with anger. (2000/1100)

Courage Terrier barked happily. (1550/800) "Inaba's effect will activate, reducing your Soldier's attack by his own Attack Points, that's 1100, plus half the Attack of my S Link Lycoris! That makes a total of way more than your Soldier's attack!" Inaba bonked Volthunder Soldier with a cartoon mallet and left the warrior feeling dizzy. (0/1300)

"Next I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Swords of Revealing Light." Said Naota as his card blew away all the swords. He heard the distinct sound of a card being destroyed like shattering glass and smiled. "So now, Lycoris, end this duel with your attack."

Petals streamed forward and cut through Volthunder Soldier. Hawthrone's spell shot off sparks at Naota, but Ribbon Kuriboh danced happily in the air, controlling the flow of the lightning as if he were a traffic conductor controlling cards.

**Hawthorne: 0**

Naota drew a card and smiled. S Link Silver Fur.

Hawthorne smiled. "Well, that certainly was impressive. I wasn't expecting you to win, but that Ribbon Kuriboh really turned things around. I'll have to be careful if I ever run into it again." She chuckled. "You look exhausted, why don't you go take a seat?"

Naota nodded, unable to speak.

Professor Morrigana sat alone in the teacher's lounge as everybody else got ready for the upcoming duels. She sipped on some luke warm coffee as a brown furball with a blood red ribbon floated in. "Ah, hello Ribbon Kuriboh, I didn't expect to see you back so soon."

"Kuri," though his words were not of a human tongue, Morrigana nodded. She could understand him perfectly well.

"Keep an eye on that child and make sure you report back Naota's every move, Kuriboh. If my plan is to succeed it is of utmost importance that everyone play their role, but especially our martyr Naota." Morrigana chuckled. "I have to admit, I was worried that Hawthorne would mess things up by dueling with him, but you really came through for me."

"Kuri," said the duel spirit.

"Looks like things are going to be really fun at Akimoto Academy this year."

* * *

><p><strong>The theme here is the power of friendship and unity. I think this deck may have come out a little more powerful than I intended, but I shall do my best to still make the duels fun.<strong>

**Original Card Lists**

**Volthunder Pixie**

Wind/Thunder

(4) 1400/1100

If your opponent special summons a monster, inflict 300 points of effect damage and place one Volthunder Counter on this card. This card gains 300 Attack for every Volthunder Counter on it.

_A yellow pixie with lemon colored hair and a neon dress_

**Volthunder Unicorn**

Wind/Thunder

(4) 1700/1500

If your opponent activates a trap card during your battlephase inflict 300 points of effect damage and place one Volthunder Counter on this card. This card gains 300 Attack for every Volthunder Counter on it.

_A yellow unicorn with a metal lightning bolt shaped horn._

**Volthunder Soldier**

Wind/Thunder

(4) 1800/1300

_A soldier in golden armor._

**Thunder Burst**

Continuous Spell

Whenever a Thunder Type monster you control is destroyed in battle, inflict 300 Points of effect damage.

_A lightning bolt strikes a young child._

**Shizen Link Plumericat**

Earth/Beast/Tuner

(3)1000/1000

This card gains Attack Points equal to half the highest Original Attack of a level 5 or Lower Shizen Link monster you control other than this card. When this card is used to Synchro Summon a Shizen Link Synchro Monster, you may negate that monster's destruction once.

_A black and white cat with a crown of plumerias and wing like leaves on her back._

**Shizen Link Princex Hibiscus**

Earth/Plant

(2) 800/500

This card gains Attack Points equal to half the highest Original Attack of a level 5 or Lower Shizen Link monster you control other than this card. When this card is destroyed in battle you may Special Summon 1 Level 3 or Lower Shizen Link monster from your deck.

_An agender humanoid flower wearing an orange dress. They wear a crown of orange hibiscus flowers._

**Shizen Link Gardenia**

Earth/Plant

(3) 1200/1000

This card gains Attack Points equal to half the highest Original Attack of a level 5 or Lower Shizen Link monster you control other than this card. Once per turn you may Special Summon a Level 3 or Lower Shizen Link monster from your graveyard.

_A humanoid plant with a multicolored dress and flowers in her long auburn hair._

**Shizen Link Lycoris**

Earth/Plant/Synchro

(6) 2300/2000

1 S Link Tuner+ 1 or More S Link Non Tuner's

This card gains Attack Points equal to half the highest Original Attack of a level 7 or Lower Shizen Link monster you control other than this card. During your endphase inflict 800 points of effect damage to both players.

_A flower woman with a red dress and long flowing red hair. She has twigs for arms and a stem for a body, with roots pouring out from beneath her dress._

**Ribbon Kuriboh**

Dark/Fairy

(2) 300/200

When an opponent's card effect would inflict effect damage during your turn, negate the damage and draw 1 card.

_A Kuriboh with a blood red ribbon._

**Seeds of Friendship**

Spell

Banish 1 Level 4 or Lower Plant Type Shizen Link monster from your deck and Special Summon it during your next standby phase.

_Two teenagers plant a garden. A Plumericat blossoms from one of the seeds._

**Miracle Beanstalk**

Trap

Special Summon a Level 4 or Lower Plant Type monster from your graveyard. Double its attack points and negate its effect. During the end phase of this turn, destroy it.

_A black beanstalk bursts through a graveyard._

**Cherry Blossom Finale**

Quick Play Spell

When a Plant Type Shizen Link you control destroys a monster in battle, inflict effect damage equal to half that monster's attack.

_Plumericat plays in a field of fallen cherry blossom petals._

**Pride Howl**

Quick Play Spell

You may activate this card when an opponent's monster is destroyed in battle. Select a Beast Type Shizen Link you control. Double its attack until the end phase. Halve all damage inflicted by that card this turn.

_Shizen Link Silver Fur howls at the moon._

**Shizen Link Silver Fur**

?

_An adorable wolf cub with silver fur._


	3. Arrival

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Yu-Gi-Oh GX**

**I'm the type who loves reusing OCs. Naota, Yuu, and Hikaru are in a lot of my stories on other accounts and on Fictionpress. I also share OCs with my friends so you can see Naota, Hikaru, and Yuu in other stories such as Koukon Bridge.**

**This is my first time writing Ham, though he does appear in the story Digimon: Rebellion by Twilidramon. If you are a fan of Digimon, I highly recommend it.**

**On another note, Cadence and Izuru belong to Arcana Force XIII Thanatos (who based them on characters from Dangan Ronpa), he is currently working on a Yu-Gi-Oh and a Digimon story. Keep an eye out for them! Naota and Ham even make an appearance in his Yu-Gi-Oh fic!**

**Side Note: until recently, I had no idea Cadence and Izuru were based on Dangan Ronpa characters. That would have been nice to know ahead of time, before I started writing this.**

**Chapter 2: Arrival **

Long ago it was decided that the best place to teach children to play a card game was on an isolated island in the middle of the sea. As such the students had no way of making it on their own, instead they had to rely on one of the available methods of transportation. Some would be flying in on one of the Akimoto family's many jet planes. Those farthest away would go with this method as it covered the most distance in the greatest time. Some would travel by private cruise ship, enjoying the sights of the sea as they travelled. Others had the option of taking a train that vanished into an underground tunnel only to resurface on the island.

No matter what the service was the same. Rooms were outfitted with the most luxurious sofas around. It felt like sitting on a soft cotton cloud. Beds rested along the walls in case anybody needed a nap. Large LCD TVs with a hundred channels stood bolted to the walls if anybody got bored. Trolleys ran up and down the aisles offering free food from Moink. Those with finer tastes could purchase anything from sushi and pizza to lobster and caviar.

Naota examined himself in the mirror, unsure of how he was presenting that day. Ironically, despite being designated male at birth, he had more trouble crafting a male image of himself. Perhaps it was because even as a male he still came off as fairly girly. His curly brown hair was soft and feathery and always smelled of strawberries thanks to his shampoo. Sometimes it even seemed to glimmer in the sunlight. Messy bangs hung before his eyes giving him a look of youthful innocence.

His frame was awfully skinny. He was scrawny no matter how you looked at it. He wore an oversized red sweater that hung over hips and arms. It gave him the illusion of being even skinnier than he actually was. And his black cotton shorts stopped long before his knees, cute but very innocent and youthful.

He tied his silver blazer around his waist.

When Naota got dressed that morning, he spent an hour in front of the mirror trying on different out while his brother and cousin Daisuke both snored away in their beds. He went with black, white, pink, T-shirts, long sleeves, hoodies, jeans, and more, but nothing seemed to fit. He held an article of clothing up to the mirror then toss it aside like a rag doll.

The silver blazer came last. Every student got a blazer to mark their dorm ranking, it was the only mandatory part of the uniform, but there weren't any rules or regulations about _how _you needed to wear it. Naota played with it for twenty minutes before deciding it looked best around his waist. The sleeves hung over to the sides while the blazer itself hung behind him.

Hikaru on the other hand wore her White Dorm blazer with pride. She'd easily won her entrance exam duel, swarming the field with enough Spellcasters to devastate the proctor's Life Points. A splash of effect damage and she took him out on her third turn with a powerful OTK. That apparently had earned her entrance into the highest dorm possible.

The blazer went over her pink t-shirt and stopped at her waist. She wore a long black skirt that fell to her knees and pink socks and pink arm warmers. Black and pink were Hikaru's two favorite colors and she showed them off with pride. A little white splashed into the mix seemed to work just well.

Naota insisted on heading to the train early, which meant waiting for half an hour in the cold morning air before the train opened up. Then they found a nice luxurious room and waited a whole half an hour more before departure time. Their home town was the first stop on the train's path, but far from the last.

Naota and Hikaru found a room draped with pink carpet and a white faux leather sofa. Hikaru tossed her pink backpack on the ground while Naota placed his at the foot of the princess canopy bed. The shelf held a vase of beautiful Lilacs, blue Irises, and anemones.

Hikaru flipped through the TV stations before finding one she could settle on, some station was in the middle of a Harry Potter marathon. Naota rested his head on the pillow and plugged in his headphones. Swaying his hands in time with the music, mouthing the words to Hazuki/Zer0's _Heart Link. _He watched the scenery rolling by out the window. Grass covered the country as far as the eye could see

"_If a succession of love isn't enough to succeed, though I want to believe, because this is what I need and I'm fading in a dream and lost in this fantasy. Which way is right? When there's nothing left. Caught between my last breath and death."_

Trees rolled by as they passed a village of small houses. He saw a large manor standing on top a hill. Even from far away he could still make it out. It looked Victorian, with polished wood and a rose garden out in front. It reminded him of Yuu's old house, though it wasn't quite as big. A gate blocked off the large driveway that meandered up the hill in a winding path. It stood out compared to the much smaller houses around it.

Hikaru noticed her cousin's interest. "Something wrong?" She asked.

Naota took his headphones off. "That house reminds me of somebody. I just, I wonder if she's getting on anytime soon." Naota stood up and walked toward the door. The train slowed to a halt and Naota heard the front doors creak open. "I'm going to wait in the hall and see if she passes by."

Naota pushed the room door open and stepped into the hall. Dozens of students pushed past him, carrying or pulling their bags. Most students mailed their luggage to the school save for the important things, but that still left a lot of things to be carried.

One young boy bumped hard into Naota, sending a sharp pain through his arm. Naota let out a yelp of shock and the boy shot him an angry glare. "Sorry," he said as he walked away.

Naota sighed as he pushed himself further against the wall. He scanned the ground for any sign of her, a flash of blonde hair, the sight of an elegant dress, or anything of that sort. Finally he saw her, her long blonde hair bobbing up and down as she paraded down the hall pulling seven bags of luggage on a cart. "Cadence!"

"Oh, hello Naota. I did not realize I'd be seeing you so soon." She wore a white outfit like a nightgown with her silver blazer wrapped around her neck like a scarf. Silver beads decorated her outfit in an elegant floral pattern. A hat rested on her head. It was a simple white hat shaped like a bell with a black bow wrapped around it. "Would you mind if I sat with you?"

"Sure, come on in." Naota opened the door for his friend.

Cadence sat on the sofa next to Hikaru. "So how have you two been?" Cadence asked.

"Naota's been nervous as Hell even after passing the entrance exam. He's worried that the classes will be too hard and he'll flunk out," said Hikaru. "I've been working on some card ideas I wanted to make. I have a few Spellbook ideas that I want to try out."

"I've got a few ideas myself," said Cadence. "Some of them are a bit powerful though, so I am worried they won't be permitted. I just think they'd go well with my deck theme." Cadence let out a sigh. Part of the Academy's goal was to get students to create new archetypes, but another goal was to let them create new cards for old ones. So each student made themselves a new deck, but still kept their old decks to upgrade with supplemental cards fresh out of their imagination. Of course sometimes for homework the class would receive an archetype and be forced to create cards for support. "I've actually got a ton of ideas," she said as she reached into her bag. She pulled out an art book filled with water color sketches. On the front side of each page she'd draw and paint a beautiful monster, spell, or trap card and paint it with elegant brushstrokes. On the back she'd write out its stats and effects in elegant cursive.

She painted Harpies, and Dragons, and Fairies dancing in mushrooms. She painted a Dunames Dark Witch bathing in a ray of moonlight, a Blue Eyes White Dragon sleeping on a mountaintop, the Gemini Elves sipping tea, and more.

"Gemini Tea Party?" Asked Hikaru, reading the card's name and effect.

"Just an idea," said Cadence. She pulled out another notebook filled with paintings. "I use Dark Counterparts and Lightrays together," she said. "So I've been coming up with my own Lightray and Dark versions of famous monsters. Like Lightray Magician," she pointed to a Dark Magician wearing blue and White armor. "And Lightray Blader," Cadence said as she showed Hikaru and Naota a Buster Blader with similar blue and white armor and a helmet that looked like the Blue Eyes. She turned to Naota. "What about you, any new Shizen Links for your deck?" She asked.

"I think I might come up with some spell or trap support," said Naota. He paced quickly before plopping on the bed to hug a pillow. "Maybe something like Unity of Nature which can support Beasts, Plants, and Insects. But I don't want to actually make any S Links. I feel like that wouldn't be right."

"Do they have sentimental value?" Cadence asked. "I know they're really rare, I've never heard of them before."

"They were one of the last archetypes designed by Molly Ishida," said Naota. Cadence gasped, recognizing the name. "She's a popular artist. She did the artwork for Stardust dragon, the Lightsworns, and a few Blackwings, but she also designed a few archetypes herself, like the Hieratics and Gishkis. Everybody said she and her husband, Kuro, were going to be stars in the industry. Pegasus himself said they were two of his best employees.

"But one day they died and nobody knows how. This was one of the last archetypes that Molly made. Pegasus considered keeping it locked up but he didn't want to do that to Molly's last work. He felt the cards deserved better. So he held an auction with the proceeds going to charity and the cards sort of," Naota stopped realizing he'd said too much.

"Oh, so those cards must have given to you by somebody close. I can see why they'd have sentimental value. I think that's really sweet." Cadence said to Naota.

"Yeah, my best friend gave them to me," Naota said as he rubbed his deck case. "So I'm going to focus more on creating my own archetypes and maybe supporting some other cards instead of making new S Links. I actually have a few ideas for Fusion monsters."

"Fusions?" Asked Cadence. "You don't see many people working on those any more. I feel bad for them, they've mostly been forgotten now that Synchros and Xyz cards exist. I myself have a few planned. Not sure if I will have any in my archetype though."

"What is your archetype anyway?" Asked Hikaru. "I did Magical Girls and Naota did moon themed cards."

Cadence twirled out of her seat and with a smirk on her lips she replied, "Promise not to laugh? I'm doing vampire ninja bunny butlers!" She waited for a reaction.

"Uhhh, vampire ninja bunny butlers?" Hikaru stammered. "You're joking right?"

"No," said Cadence in monotone. "Vampire ninja bunny butlers are no joke. When we get our cards I'll show you. Vampire ninja bunny butlers are a serious threat, a force to be reckoned with."

"I think they sound cool!" Naota said with a smile. "Bunnies are cute." He fell back into bed and rolled toward the wall. He stared out the window as the train jerked back to life. "Looks like we've still got some time before we get there," he said with a sigh.

Cadence's eyes lit up. "Well, you said you can't draw, right? Tell me about some of your cards and I can draw them for you. Then you can turn those in to the office. This way you'll have cards that are better suited toward your taste." Cadence grabbed a blank art book and dug around one of her bags for some art supplies. She pulled out a pencil, eraser, pen, and some brushes. She reached into another bag to grab an art palette, paint, and bottled water.

"No thanks, I don't want to be a bother to anyone," Naota said quietly. He scrunched a pillow tightly to his chest. "I wouldn't be able to do anything in return."

"Nonsense, that's not what friendship is about," Cadence told him. "I won't force you, of course, but designing your moon themed cards would be a pleasure."

Naota watched the trees rolling by.

When they got to Akimoto Academy, the sky burned with oranges and reds. The sunset took Naota's breath away. Somehow it seemed purer and more explosive in the academy air than it did back home.

A man dressed in a blue uniform handed out maps of the island. Naota took one for himself and handed two more to Cadence and Hikaru. He heard the roar of an airplane above as another group of students arrived at the islands. Apparently they weren't the last ones to arrive.

"So there are four dorms right," Naota said to Cadence and Hikaru. "And each one has rooms for boys, girls, and non-binary students?" Some schools wouldn't allow boys and girls to sleep in the same building, apparently that wasn't the case here.

"Yes, that appears to be so," said Cadence. "Would you like to head to our dorm now or would you like to explore the island a bit. It's getting late but curfew isn't until 8:00. We have some time until then," she pointed out.

"I'm tired, I think I'm going to crash," said Naota. He waved to Hikaru. "See you tomorrow." He tensed up a little as he moved away from his cousin. When he took the test he'd been hoping to get into the same dorm as Hikaru so that they could be closer together. But when they received their blazers he knew that dream was dashed. As a Silver Dorm student, Naota would be in a room in the silver dorm along with a roommate. He wished her were good enough for White Dorm, those students got private rooms.

"According to this map, our dorms are that way," said Cadence as she pointed to the north. In the distance Naota saw several tall buildings painted a sparkling silver color. They looked like a series of three story apartments with rails and balconies. They weren't too far away, so Naota stretched his arms as they started walking.

"I'm off this way," said Hikaru as she headed east toward the White Dorms. They were in a huge building shaped like a huge dome surrounded by a perimeter of flowers. "See you two tomorrow, hopefully we have some classes together."

Naota peeked at the map, the island was huge. In addition to the classes and dorms they had a four star restaurant (for those who didn't like the free cafeteria food), a Moink (for those who didn't like the free cafeteria food but didn't want to spend a fortune either), a theater (with all the latest movies), a gym, a baseball field, a football field, a basketball court, a spa, a library, and more. He went dizzy trying to take it all in.

"The Akimotos sure went all out designing this place didn't they?" Asked Cadence. "Not even Duel Academy is this fantastic," she said. "I'm surprised they can afford it though. I know they're rich but not as rich as the Kaiba family from what I hear."

"Who knows, maybe they are richer than the Kaibas," Naota joked. "I just hope they put good money into maintenance. I don't want the power going out on us in our dorm."

"I seriously doubt that will be a problem anytime soon," said Cadence. "In fact I think I know what that power outage was about. If I'm not mistaken, then a certain _somebody_ was to blame. I just need to gather some evidence and confront my suspect."

"Huh?" Naota asked. He shook his head. "Never mind, it doesn't matter." He put the map down and walked faster. "I just hope the Wi-Fi is good, if not then I hope the library has good books." He and Cadence didn't get very far before a young woman came running after them.

"Excuse me," she said, "I'm looking for a Naota Yamaguchi." She said.

"Speaking," Naota answered. He tensed up, worried that something had gone wrong and he was about to be in trouble. Luckily Hikaru saw him and jogged his way.

The woman had blonde hair, a bit longer than Hikaru's but shorter than Cadence's, and wore a striped blue and purple sweater with pinks jeans. Small rimmed glasses covered her bright green eyes. "Hello, I'm Professor Nakao. But you can call me Rinko. I was sent to well perhaps this is best discussed alone."

"I'll just go wait over there," said Cadence as she stepped a safe distance away.

Nakao brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I'm here to take you to your room at the Black Dorm."

"Black Dorm?" Naota asked. "But I'm a Silver Dorm student."

Professor Nakao smiled when she noticed Hikaru. "And you must be Ms. Reinhardt, correct?"

Hikaru nodded at the teacher.

"Great, I've been waiting for you both," said the Professor. "I'm to take you both to the Black Dorm. See, while normally the Black Dorm is reserved for top third year students, it's also where all the students with special needs go, as it's easiest to meet their accommodations there." She turned to Hikaru. "We noted that Naota does best when accompanied by a trusted person, so we got you two rooms right next to each other."

"Really?" Asked Naota. "That's amazing." He froze, suddenly unsure of how to explain things to Cadence. "But, I, well."

"Don't worry," said Hikaru. "Everything is going to be okay." She smiled. "If anybody gives you any trouble, send them my way." She held up her Duel Disk. "I'll kick their butts for you."

Naota waved to Cadence as he walked toward her. "So, change of plans. Due to certain _unusual _circumstances, I have a room at the Black Dorm instead of the Silver Dorm." Naota stared at the ground as he spoke, too nervous to read his friend's expression.

"Ah, I see. In that case I will be off then. See you tomorrow. I had fun on the train!" Cadence showed no signs of shock or disbelief. She merely waved as she walked away, her bags of luggage rolling behind her.

Naota smiled as his friend walked away. Turning to Nakao, he said nothing. He wanted to point out that such accommodations were never mentioned previously. He'd talked to a school advisor about his disability, his aunt and uncle were there with him and they all asked what life at the academy would be like. They'd heard a lot in regards to accommodations. Naota could have extra time during tests, access to quieter test taking areas, the ability to leave class in the event of a meltdown, and they even offered a note taker. Never did they mention that disabled students would be allowed access to the best dorms.

It made sense for students with physical disabilities, but he didn't see how a specific dorm was really going to help with his disability. Well, not having to share his space with a roommate sounded nice. Maybe they had soundproofed rooms to help shut out external stimuli that could lead to sensory issues? He figured it was best to just roll with it.

"Your teachers have already been informed of your disability. They've all received emails explaining your accommodations. If, over the course of the semester you find that these aren't enough then feel free to contact your disabilities counselor Ms. Kinomoto," said Professor Nakao.

They walked toward the White Dorm. According to the map, the Black Dorm was just beyond it. Moving past the dome, Naota gasped when he saw it. Set against the backdrop of the fiery sky stood a large black castle with towers that stretched up like hands clawing toward heaven.

"This is your dorm," said Nakao. "Your dorm rooms are on the third floor." Next she gestured to another building nearby. It was a simple square building lit ablaze with golden lights pouring from out the glass doors. Naota saw a clear view of the inside. Students were dueling each other, dozens of them all ready for action before the school year even began. "That's the Duel Arena. Every academy has one. Students gather there when they want somebody to duel but can't find anybody. It's open pretty late, you can check it out if you want, but it does get pretty noisy sometimes."

Naota thought it over. The entrance duel had taken a lot out of him. Being in front of all those people. He could barely handle it. The Arena looked even more crowded. Sure, he wouldn't be alone, others would be dueling as well, but that still made him nervous. He'd nearly had a meltdown in front of the crowd last time he dueled. If the lights hadn't shut off, he didn't know what would happen.

He remembered Cadence's words. _If I'm not mistaken, then a certain _somebody_ was to blame. _She couldn't possibly mean Izuru could she? What motive could he possibly have? Then again what motive could anybody possibly have?

As they started to walk by, Naota felt something tugging him toward the Arena, begging him to go inside. He gave it one last glance. There were about fifty or sixty students inside, dueling each other with determined looks. Their faces smiled in victory and frowned in defeat. Something told him to go inside, but he brushed it aside for the time being.

Inside the castle they passed a few students in wheelchairs and others with canes. Naota even saw a blind girl walking with a guide dog. Some of the students were dressed in Black Blazers but others wore Blazers of every dorm color, gray, silver, and white.

The floors were covered in a soft looking red carpet. Naota wanted to bend down and feel it, or else take off all his footwear and run barefoot. It looked so exhilarating. He figured if anybody would understand the desire, Nakao would, but it didn't seem like it was worth the risk.

The walls were made of stone, just like a real castle, but the temperature was kept at a nice and reasonable level, not too warm not too hot. Nakao led them into an elevator and pressed the button for the third floor. Naota looked outside, realizing the elevator was made of glass. He could see the ground falling behind him as he rose skyward into the blazing atmosphere. It was so pretty.

The halls on the third floor were spacious and roomy. Occasionally they'd pass by a table featuring an ornate vase full of flowers. "This will be your room," Nakao said to Naota, pointing to room 306. "And Hikaru, you get room 305." She gestured to the room right next to it. "There are laundry chutes in your room. Laundry is done every Wednesday but laundry rooms are available to students if you wish to wash your clothes at any other time. Oh and help yourself to the snacks in the fridge. They're free and restocked weekly." She smiled at them both. "My office is on the first floor. I have lots of work to do so I'll be staying up all night. If you need me then please _do not hesitate to ask." _She giggled. "And with that, I bid you adieu." The professor skipped off like a free spirited child. It was happy to watch.

"Well, I'm going to take a shower," Hikaru said. "You want to do something afterwards?"

"Well, umm," Naota nearly fell over. "Could we go to the Duel Arena, I want to see if we can meet anybody you know."

"Well, he might be visiting, but I doubt he'd be at the Arena. I mean. He doesn't start school here until next year. Unless he skipped a grade," Hikaru started mumbling to herself. _"Not like that'd be a surprise."_

Naota shook his head. "No, not him. I meant," he tensed up.

"Oh, my little Naota has somebody on his mind other than Yuu?" Hikaru said with a laugh. "Now _that _is a surprise." Naota frowned and tensed up. "Hey, sorry. You okay?"

"Never mind. I'm probably just being silly. I mean. I don't think he'd be here anyway," Naota slumped to the floor hugging his knees. "I think I'm going to go to bed early."

"You sure? Because whoever you're thinking of, maybe they're here, maybe they aren't. There's only one way to find out." Hikaru said. "And that's too look for him. Let me take a quick shower and then we can hit the Duel Arena."

Hikaru vanished into her own room, leaving Naota to his. It was well furnished. There was a simple canopy bed with aqua colored sheets and a comforter, ten pillows on top, and a longer body pillow to hug. He had a Plasma TV complete with a high quality home theater system, an empty bookshelf for him to fill up with his manga and novels once they arrived, a stereo with a plug in for his phone, and a glass case full of DVDs and video games for the PS4 and Wii U systems.

He looked through the game collection. They had RPGS, Rhythm games, platformers, and some of the newest from _Shinigami Conglomerate. _Naota laughed. Of course they would. Shinigami Conglomerate was one of the largest video game companies out there, owned and run by the Akimoto family. They seriously got their hands into everything they could. They had banks, credit cards, automobiles, and more. He honestly wouldn't be surprised if they _were_ richer than the Kaibas.

Naota took off his shoes and socks and felt the soft blue carpet beneath his feet. It was like stepping on a cloud. He danced across the room and squatted down, running his fingers across the surface of the carpet, watching the trails as he blazed them.

He opened the fridge in the corner of the room and found it stocked with snacks. They had Hot Pockets, toaster strudels, candies, and more. He grabbed a bottle of strawberry milk and pulled off the cover. He'd just started sipping it when Hikaru knocked.

"You ready to go?"

Naota swore he felt a static charge of energy flying through the air. Students cheered and screamed and swore. It almost drove him to run and hide. His head pounded, but he focused on his mission. Scanning the crowds he saw that there were duels everywhere. First years versus first years, third years versus third years, gray versus gray, white versus white, first year gray versus second year silver, and more. Some of the duels seemed to be evenly matched while others were complete curbstomps.

"_Go, Neo Flare Bahamut, attack his Life Points directly."_

"_I activate the trap card Rising Shadows."_

"_I Special Summon my ultimate monster, Steel Eyes Iron Dragon."_

There were perhaps fifty or so students in the Arena and this was only the first floor. He counted very few Black Dorm students. Either they didn't bother with this place or they really were rare. He didn't see anybody who looked familiar in the crowd. Wait, scratch that. One person looked vaguely familiar but he couldn't be sure.

He had short red hair that fell to his shoulders and wore a simple black T-shirt with black jeans. He didn't have his blazer on, so it was impossible to tell what dorm he was from. His face furrowed as he stared at his opponent. The duel had just ended and Naota couldn't tell who won. The boy stomped off toward the exit, his scrawny arms pumping up and down like an exaggerated military march.

"…" Naota tried to say something but he locked up. His words churned in his throat and tumbled back down, tasting like vomit. He tried to wave to the boy but his arms felt like stone.

That's when the other boy noticed him staring. His bangs fell in front of his eyes as he stopped, making it hard to judge his expression. Not that Naota was ever good at that anyway. "Hey, you're that kid from the train. Sorry about earlier I was in a rush." He walked past Naota and grabbed the door, ready to move on.

"Do you want to duel?" Naota squeaked.

"Huh?" The boy froze. "Didn't figure you were the type to up and challenge somebody so brazenly. You mad at me for earlier or something?" He glanced at Naota up and down. "Nah, you don't look the type." He smirked. "Fine. We can duel. But it's a little crowded here, let's take this outside."

The boy stepped outside and Naota and Hikaru followed. He eyed the blonde girl with suspicion and asked. "She your cousin or something?"

"Yeah!" Naota said with a smile. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess. Anyway, my name is Jamison A. Auttenberg." He brushed his hair aside. Shuffling his deck, he let out a yawn. "So, you haven't told me your names yet." He inserted his deck and the Duel Disk hummed with vitality.

**Jamison: 4000**

"I'm Naota Yamaguchi."

"Hikaru Reinhardt."

Naota shuffled his deck quickly and nearly dropped a few cards. He managed to catch one on his inactive Duel Disk. He set his deck in place and drew a hand of five cards. "Do you want to go," Jamison drew a sixth card before Naota could even finish.

"So tell me Naota. Why did you challenge me? There were tons of other people in there still ready to duel and you could have challenged any of them, but I was in the middle of leaving. So why me?" He carefully looked over his cards.

"You, well," Naota froze up. "On the train, when you walked by, you seemed sad," he said. "I wanted to be say something but I got scared. So I just wanted to find out your story."

"So you challenged me to a duel instead of asking? How cliché. Next thing you know you'll try to be my friend when you win the duel." Jamison yawned.

"Don't you mean if?" Naota asked.

Jamison growled. "I summon Fusilier Dragon, the Dual Mode Beast!" (2800/2000) A large red machine rose up on Jamison's field. It looked like a dragon shaped tank. It was blood red with glowing yellow eyes and a long neck. It had two cannons on its head and two on either side, all pointed at Naota. "Since I summoned him without tribute, his stats are halved." (1400/1000) "I'll set a card and end my turn," he said as a face down appeared before him.

'_He probably has a Skill Drain deck.' _Thought Naota. _'In that case I know what to do. Hopefully he waits to activate it when I attack. It's a risky maneuver for him but it would take out a monster on my turn and weaken my defenses for his attacks.' _Naota drew his next card. "I summon S Link Courage Terrier," Naota said as his puppy appeared on the field. Courage Terrier wagged his tail and panted happily. (1200/800) "Next I activate Union Howl! When I control a Courage Terrier I can Special Summon another one from my deck!" (1200/800) Naota slipped his card into the graveyard and watched as his puppy howled at the sky. A flash of red fell upon the field and took the form of a second Courage Terrier. The two playfully chased each other in circles as they ran around the field together. (1800/800) "My S Links can all gain power ups from each other, up to a certain limit. They get half the original attack of one comrade, so long as that comrade isn't too much stronger. Level 4 and lower monsters gain strength from Level 5 and lower monsters."

"God that sounds confusing and weird, whatever." Jamison sighed. "Why not just make it any S Link?"

"Go Courage Terrier, attack his Dual Mode Beast." Naota smiled. "And when he attacks, you can't activate trap cards!"

"God you're so predictable. You can only think one step ahead when you need to think three times as far." Jamison laughed. "I activate Forbidden Chalice." A golden cup rose onto the field and exploded into golden light. The powerful golden aura flowed toward the Dual Mode Beast, covering Fusilier in a shining coat of energy. (3200/2000) "This card negates my monster's effect for the turn, thus permanently restoring its original attack, and it gives it an extra 400 point boost for the time being. Fusilier, gun his dog down!"

Courage Terrier tried to scratch and bite the mighty dragon tank, but Fusilier's head swung back and forth as it readied its gun. Courage Terrier whimpered, but stood his ground as the tank fired machine guns and launched two rockets that exploded into a cloud of smoke.

**Naota: 2600**

"Skill Drain decks are common. I know you know this. I know you aren't foolish enough to attack me without a backup plan," said Jamison. "Sure, by letting you attack me before I activate Skill Drain, I can trick you into losing a monster and Life Points while saving my attack, but it's not worth the risk. There are too many cards that negate traps, especially during the battle phase. Of course my facedown was going to be Forbidden Chalice. And now you're the one who's lost a monster and Life Points. And your other doggy is looking pretty lonely without his friend." (1200/800)

"I'll set a card and end my turn." Said Naota. He watched the dragon's attack points return to normal. (2800/2000)

Jamison drew. "In fact I'll tell you what. I'm going to win this Duel without using Skill Drain at all," he growled. "Just because you've figured out your opponent's main tactics, don't ever think for a second that you've won. A good duelist will _always _have a backup plan."

"I'm sorry." Naota said as his shoulders slumped.

"God, why are you apologizing?" Jamison rolled his eyes.

"You're mad at me. I'm sorry. I really thought my plan was going to work. I didn't mean to underestimate you," Naota said as he looked at the ground.

"I summon Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei." (2300/0)

Naota wasn't sure what this new monster was. It has orange brown skin and a muscular build. It wore red and black armor from neck to toe but left its arms mostly exposed. Its tail wagged in anticipation of battle. It appeared to be a Beast Warrior, but Naota wasn't sure. He started to sweat. _'Okay I can't remember this card, but with that much attack it has to have a negative effect.' _Naota pressed a button. "I activate the Trap Card Bravery Stance! This turn my Beast Type S Links can't be destroyed in battle and whenever you attack one I get to Special Summon one of equal or lower level from my hand or grave."

Courage Terrier let out a brave _arf! _Jamison laughed. "God, this is boring. You're only dragging things out. You haven't touched my Life Points yet and you're nearly dead." He shook his head. "Whatever. My Lei Lei attacks your Terrier."

The Beast Warrior charged forward like a wild beast and spun with his foot outstretched, kicking Courage Terrier directly at Naota. The dog and duelist both yelped in surprise as they fell over. Naota stood up and dusted himself off.

**Naota: 1500**

In a flash of white Light his second Courage Terrier returned to the field. (1200/800) Happy to see each other, the two dogs barked and hopped around. (1800/800)

"Fusilier, open fire!" Jamison swung his arm out and four rockets fired, exploding into a storm of dust and smoke. Naota started coughing as Jamison merely laughed.

**Naota: 500**

Jamison grabbed another card. "I'll set this and end my turn. And now my Fighter switches to defense mode as per his effect." Jamison explained. His Beat Warrior curled up into a tiny defenseless ball.

Naota drew his card and gulped. "I,"

"I activate Final Attack Orders, so all our monsters are forced into attack mode and they are stuck that way." Jamison laughed as his Fighter stood up once more. "Now you can't defend yourself except with spells and traps, I have two strong monsters on my field, and you're pretty much screwed. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to do my best," said Naota. "That's all I can do."

"God you're even more annoying than Izuru," sighed Jamison.

"Izuru, do you know him?" Naota asked.

Jamison smiled. "Beat me and I'll tell you."

Naota smirked. "You're on. First I normal summon S Link Plumericat." (1000/1000)- (1600/1000) Naota bent over to pet the kitten as she materialized on the field. She smiled and nodded as she curled up into a ball. "Next I tune her with one of my Courage Terriers."

Naota's monsters burst into light as they vanished into a tunnel of rings. "The profound bonds of nature give birth to a shining miracle. Blossom forth from the garden of my soul. Synchro Summon Shizen Link Lycoris!" (2300/2000)- (2900/2000) Lycoris materialized on the field. Her red hair flapped in the breeze as her twig arms bent down to pet Courage Terrier. (1200/800)

Hikaru gasped. "Naota, be careful. If you can't do something about her effect you'll lose when you end your turn."

Naota nodded. "Next I activate the spell card Wolf Pack. If I control an S Link Courage Terrier I can Special Summon S Link Silver Fur from my deck and equip it with this card! It costs half my life Points, but it's worth it."Silver light poured from his deck like a glowing waterfall. It gushed onto the field forming an adorable wolf cub no bigger than a puppy. It rolled around on the ground and let out a soft howl. (2500/2100) – (3650/2100) Lycoris shook her hair as a bright silver glow engulfed her. (3550/2100)

**Naota: 250**

Naota smiled. "This is why an S Link's power is limited. You wouldn't want me to have an army of level 4 monsters boosting their attack points by 1250." Naota smiled. "First, I'll have my Silver Fur attack Fusilier!" Naota ordered. S Link Silver Fur dashed forward and front flipped playfully through the air, tearing through the dragon tank with one paw.

**Jamison: 3150**

"Next I activate Pride Howl! S Link Courage Terrier has his attack points doubled for the remainder of the turn, at the cost of doing half the damage to you. He attacks your Fighter!" (2400/800) S Link Courage Terrier charged toward Indomitable Fighter Lei Lei. Lei Lei kicked at the Terrier but Naota's puppy was too fast and rolled out of the way. He hopped up and bit the Fighter's arm, shattering it in with the distinctive shriek of breaking glass.

**Jamison: 3100**

Naota smiled. "Now, Lycoris can end this duel with a direct attack!" Naota thrust his hand forward as a storm of petals overtook Jamison, blanketing him like a floral blizzard.

**Jamison: 0**

Jamison fell to his knees. "I, frick." He grumbled. "Just when I thought I had it." He bit his lower lip and frowned. "Dammit, I can't believe I lost again. First to that freak, then to you."

Naota tensed up. He wasn't sure what to say.

"Freak?" Hikaru asked. "I take it you mean Izuru?"

"Yeah, that asshole in the creepy mask. I was winning every duel until he came along and started beating everyone. He's a monster." Jamison scowled.

Naota wanted to point out how mean that was, but he couldn't say anything. He just watched as Jamison returned his cards to the deck holder at his side. "I never expected a kid like you to be so good. Those S Links are stronger than I thought. I wonder though, could you manage to stand up to Izuru." He smirked. "That's something I'd like to see."

Jamison stormed off into the night, leaving a stunned Naota to watch. Hikaru walked up to her cousin and smiled. "Hey, you won your first duel at the academy."

"Yeah, but, he was going easy on me. If he'd used Skill Drain I wouldn't have had enough strength to beat him," Naota said with a frown.

Hikaru looked at the last card in Naota's hand. "Hey that's not true." She grabbed Cherry Blossom Finale. "He chose not to use Skill Drain on his first turn so he could trick you into attacking. That means he can't use it until your second turn when you've already survived his onslaught. He activates Skill Drain and pays 1000 Life Points."

**Naota: 500**

**Jamison: 3000**

"This reduces both your Courage Terrier's attack points." (1200/800) "You summon Plumeria Cat and tune it with Courage Terrier to bring out Lycoris." (2300/2100) "And you activate Wolf Pack to bring out S Link Silver Fur." (2500/2100) "Lycoris rams into Lei Lei, but Plumericat's effect activates in the graveyard so Lycoris survives. You activate Cherry Blossom Finale and inflict effect damage equal to half of Lei Lei's attack.

**Naota: 250**

**Jamison: 1850**

"You combo it with pride Howl to double Silver Fur's attack points." (5000/2100) "And he attacks and destroys Fusilier. Though the damage is halved, it still clears the way."

**Jamison: 750**

"Courage Terrier attacks directly."

**Jamison: 0**

"And you win," Hikaru finished.

Naota still felt like he'd lost.

**Original Card List**

**Union Howl**

Spell

Activate if you control a Shizen Link Courage Terrier. Special Summon a Shizen Link Courage Terrier from your hand or deck.

_Three Courage Terriers play together on the front lawn._

**Bravery Stance**

Trap

Activate only during your opponent's turn. Your Beast Type Shizen Links can't be destroyed in battle. If your opponent attacks a Beast Type Shizen Link you control, you may Special Summon a Shizen Link from your hand or graveyard with equal or lower attack.

_Courage Terrier stands up to a horde of Archfiends._

**Wolf Pack**

Equip Spell

Target one Shizen Link Courage Terrier you control. Pay half your Life Points. Special Summon 1 Shizen Link Silver Fur from your deck. If this card or the targeted monster leave the field, banish the equipped monster.

_Courage Terrier and Silver Fur playing in the snow._

**Shizen Link Silver Fur**

Earth/Beast

(7) 2500/2100

This card gains Attack Points equal to half the highest Original Attack of a Shizen Link monster you control other than this card. During your Standby phase, if you control no other Shizen Link monsters, destroy this card.

_An adorable wolf cub with silver fur._


	4. Counterforce

**Chapter 3: Counterforce**

****Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Yu-Gi-Oh GX****

"The history of Duel Monsters is plagued with bad decisions and weird rules. From flying monsters having a 35% chance to dodge attacks, unbalanced spells, and high star monsters with low attack points. Take LaMoon for example. Level 5 monster with (1200/1700) Next to unusable by today's standards." Professor Morrigana spoke at the head of the class. Naota sat at the bottom of the auditorium in a front row seat, listening to his teacher as he watched the butterflies out the window. The cool AC air made him wish he'd brought a jacket or sweater, but all he had was a silver blazer to wear over a long sleeve black shirt and black cotton gym shorts.

"Other cards back then were super powerful, like the original Dark Energy. It could triple the attack of any fiend monster. Kaiba had one and he wasted it on _Saggi. _Imagine equipping that on something like Summoned Skull. Two cards. (7500/1200) Stronger than a four card Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. But nooooo, he wastes it on _Saggi the Dark Clown._"

It was the first day of the semester, and all of Naota's classes had been good so far. Right now his Duel History class with Professor Morrigana was going by quickly enough. She seemed lively though she kept glancing at the clock with disinterest. "Then it got nerfed," Morrigana continued. "Add 300 Attack and Defense to one fiend. Just like the first generation of Field Spells. Other than a few cards here and there, many of the older cards are pretty weak by today's standards. Especially when we have uber-powerful monsters like Lightsworns and the Blackwings.

"Still, nothing compares to Chaos Emperor Dragon or the even more powerful counterpart, Chaos End Ruler. Or as I like to call it, Screw You I Win." A few students laughed at Morrigana's joke. "But the point is, the game is changing all the time. Once upon a time, we used to have Fusion Decks. Now we have Extra Decks and a new reason to use Lower Level monsters that were often trunked away in favor of beat sticks. We used to have only a few Effect Monsters and now you barely see Normal Monsters anymore. Have fun when you're creating cards. Take risks. Fuse Monsters and Traps. Ever hear of _Yasushi the Skull Knight?_ Google it."

With a strained smile, Professor Morrigana gestured to the whole class. "Now, it's your first day here. I want you to have some fun. Class is dismissed twenty minutes early. Your only homework is to try to have fun."

Students began packing their things. Naota stuffed his new PDA into his backpack. All students were given one at orientation. They could use it to keep track of assignments, card ideas, and their schedules, or keep in touch with other students. Naota, Hikaru, and Cadence had already exchanged contact information before the start of class.

"I like Morrigana, she's funny," said Hikaru as everybody stepped out of the building. Classes were held inside their own rooms, with some being accessible directly from outside, while others could only be entered from the hallways. "So what other classes do you have today?"

"I have Science, last class of the day," said Cadence. She wheeled a single backpack behind her. "It's my first general education class. I have most of my academic classes later in the week. I'm still surprised there were so many to choose from. Guess they want you to get a well-rounded education."

"I'm just glad they have different P.E. classes based on your skill level," said Naota. "I'm taking the lowest level." He said with a smile. "Though I honestly wish I could drop it all together. How about you two?"

"I signed up for the highest level," said Hikaru.

"I'm taking a dance class substitute instead. Athletics aren't quite my thing," Cadence admitted. "So, anybody want to do anything for the next twenty minutes?"

"I'd rather not lose track of time," said Naota. "I'm going to head to my next class early and just wait outside the door or something." He adjusted the straps on his shoulder as he walked toward his next class. He stopped and turned back. "Oh wait, before I go, should we meet up somewhere once class is over?"

"How about the card shop?" Suggested Cadence.

Naota sat on a wooden bench outside his next class, _Japanese Literature, _trying to read _Koukon Bridge. _He'd just finished the sixth book in the series and felt like rereading it from the start. The foreshadowing he'd missed before seemed to pop out of the page. Secret identities were definitely fun.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw professor Nakao struggling with a stack of books that seemed to tower over her head. "Excuse me, do you need some help?" He asked politely, stuffing his book back into his bag.

"Oh, Naota, is that you?" asked Nakao. "Could you help me carry these to the gym please?" She handed half the stack to Naota. The books were tall and thick, and altogether they were a little heavy, but Naota managed to carry them just fine. "Professor Ho'omalu ordered these recently for his Health class," she explained. "So now I have to take them over to him. God I've been so busy, busy, busy lately. Well, beats being bored."

"Busy?" Asked Naota. "Is everything okay?" He followed Nakao closely, unsure of where the gym was.

"Oh just a lot of stuff to do. New books, new Duel Disks, new uniforms for the students. Recycle anything that's old, broken, or outdated. Help the cafeteria prepare their menu. Help other teachers get ready. It's a busy job," said Nakao.

"Don't you have some sort of trolley for these?" Naota asked.

"Somewhere. Can't find it though," Nakao said with a frown. "My office is a mess, I haven't cleaned it in ages. I really need to get on that sometime." She giggled. It was an otherworldly magical giggle, like a fairy of some sort. With an angelic smile on her face she kicked her legs into the air comically, "well this is working out fine. For~waaard march!"

Naota laughed as he followed after her. "You sound overworked," he said. "Can't they afford to hire more teachers to help you out?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Usually," said Nakao. "Oh hey, we're here," she said as they stood outside the gym class. Naota could see through the glass walls. Black and white tiles covered the floors, speakers hung on the ceiling playing loud energetic music, gym equipment covered half the room while the other half appeared to be reserved for aerobics. On one half of the room they had treadmills, weight machines, bench presses, stationary bikes and more. Naota tried to focus on that half because it was currently unoccupied, because it was closed to allow for gym class in the other half of the room. And Naota did not want to stare at the other side of the room. Because there were boys. Tons of cute, shirtless boys.

Physical education was a mandatory class unless you had a doctor's note. There were multiple options, such as dance class. Or you could take regular PE, which came in three different categories based on skill level. The first two were unisex, but upper level PE was split into three classes, for boys, girls, and nonbinary students (though generally speaking, trans kids got to go wherever they felt most comfortable.)

Apparently the upper level's boy's class required the boys be bare chested. Many of them had smooth muscular bodies, others were a bit hairier. They all wore gym shorts in different colors, white, black, and red. There were about eighty of them in all, and by the look of things they came from all different grade levels. Sweat ran down their bodies. Some of them looked really attractive. Naota tried not to stare and he tried not to blush.

"You okay?" Nakao asked as she held the door open. Naota nearly tripped over the doorway, but he steadied himself.

"I I'm fine," he lied. Nakao tried not to giggle at him.

The boys were all doing various aerobic exercises, following the lead of their teacher Ho'omalu, who was also shirtless, wearing a pair of red shorts. "Okay, everybody," he said, "Keep doing what you're doing, I have business to discuss." He had a bit of hair on his chest and a little stubble on his face, but just a hint. He smiled at Nakao. "Thanks, I didn't expect these to come in so quickly."

One of the boys stopped twisting his body so he could step forward. "Naota? Is that you, Naota?" He had a bit of hair on his chest, well combed blond hair parted on the left, and a muscular athletic build. "Long time no see!" He wore red gym shorts, with a Bike waistband peeking out just over the top.

Naota stalled. Unsure if he was really seeing who he thought he was seeing. "Ham?" he asked. A few of the boys laughed at the nickname. "Ham, I didn't know you were coming here." Naota's face burned red as a flame, staring at his long lost friend. They hadn't seen each other in years. It was him! Hamlet "Ham" Malderess, one of Dai's best buddies and Naota's childhood friend.

Professor Ho'omalu turned to Ham and smiled. "Friend of yours, Malderess? Hey tell you what," he grabbed some keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Ham, who caught them with ease. "I have some paperwork on my desk in my office. If you two could get it for me that would be great. It'll give you a chance to catch up."

Ham smiled. "Sure thing," he smirked at Naota. "So how have you been?" He held the door open for his friend, who struggled to keep his heart from racing.

"I've been okay. Just really excited to start classes. I never expected to see you here," Naota looked at the sky and smiled. "How have you been?"

Ham led the way. "Pretty good. They've got some great sports programs here and you can actually join multiple teams too, unlike some high schools where you're relegated to one club. I've been playing baseball and football, been doing pretty well. And my duelings pretty good too. I just got promoted to the Black Dorm." He grinned.

"That's cool. Maybe I'll see you around sometime. Hikaru and I are staying there because of my disability," said Naota. "So what's with the gym shorts? Do the colors signify year or something?"

"Yeah. White, black, then red," Ham said with a smirk. "It's for when we play sports and need to split into teams. We can't do shirts vs skins so we usually just have three games running. First year versus second, first year versus third, and second year versus first.

"So why can't you wear shirts anyway? Don't you get uncomfortable?" Naota asked.

"Nah, it's fun. Let's you play harder. You can work up a sweat without your shirt getting sticky. And you can stop forcing yourself to look away. I don't mind if you check me out," he said with a grin. Naota stopped dead in his tracks.

"I, I am not checking you out!" Naota stammered. "I, what are. You're." He fumed. "Shut up."

Ham laughed. "Well, here we are," he swung the keys around on his finger as they walked toward a u shaped building with many separate rooms. "This is his office." He quickly unlocked the door and stepped inside. It was cluttered and dusty. Naota's allergies went wild and he started to sneeze. "Guess these are it," said Ham, picking up some forms. "Looks like they're ordering new locks," he said after glancing at the paper.

"Should we really be reading that?" Naota asked.

"Relax, if it was confidential, he wouldn't have sent us to grab it," Ham said with a smirk. He looked around and found a pen and a pad of post it notes. "Hey, do you have your school ID Number. My PDA is in my locker, so I can't add you right now, but I'll add you when class is over."

Naota fumbled around in his backpack looking for his PDA. "It's 808524136," he read. Ham jotted it down and tore the post it off to stick in his pocket. "Okay, this way I can call you after class is done and we can meet up when we have free time. Anyway we should be heading back now." He turned to leave and Naota glanced at the scar on his leg. He frowned. "Something wrong?" Ham asked.

"No, it's just." Naota sighed. "I was hoping your scar would have healed by now. I'm really sorry."

Ham smiled. "Relax man. It's a badge of honor. I'd gladly do it all over again." He held the door open for Naota and locked it behind them. "Besides, it's not nearly as noticeable as it was before." Ham's smile never faded or faltered. "You were in trouble, no way I was gonna let you get hurt. Besides, if I did then your brother would have killed me."

Naota felt the energy draining from his body. He could barely move. "I just feel like a burden on everyone. You and Yuu were both way nicer to me than I deserved." He suddenly felt Ham's arms around him as his friend pulled him into a hug. Ham was much taller than him. He rested his face on the older boy's chest, feeling Ham's warm skin against his cheek.

"Hey, don't give me any of that. We're friends. Friends take care of each other," said Ham. "Anyway, don't worry about it. That happened ages ago. You need to let go of the past."

Naota nodded as Ham pulled away from him. "We should hurry back or I'm not gonna have time to shower before my next class." He chuckled. "You want to watch?"

"HAMLET!"

* * *

><p><strong>~xXx~<strong>

Hikaru and Cadence stared at the library steps in awe. A huge statue of the Dark Magician Girl and Dark Magician flanked the library entrance on either side. Two wheelchair ramps came in from the left and right, keeping things symmetrical. The words Akimoto Academy library stood tall on the front entrance. The building itself towered over them. "I heard that the first three floors are all academic books and the fourth and fifth are all fiction. And they have DVD rentals too," said Cadence. "It's quite impressive."

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" Asked Hikaru. "Or just browsing?"

"Browsing," said Cadence.

Cool air filled the library. Cadence and Hikaru both shivered a little, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. An old Asian woman smiled at them from behind the counter and offered them help, but they declined. They smiled in awe at the countless shelves of books as they walked toward the stairway and climbed to the fiction section.

They found two boys looking around. "Hey Tyler, you find anything?" Said one boy.

"Nope. How about you Suzume?"

They were both short with light skin. Tyler had a narrow face and mint green eyes, hidden behind thin glasses and framed by locks of his short brown hair. He wore a simple yellow T-shirt and khaki shorts and he wore his blazer normally. He had a scrawny frame and his clothes seemed to be on the verge of falling off.

Suzume had wavy black hair and brown eyes, and his face seemed both angelic and grim. He wore a buttoned up white blazer and black skinny jeans that hugged his hips nicely. "I can't find anything on," he noticed the girls. "Oh, hello. I didn't see you there."

Hikaru shuddered. Something about Suzume seemed odd. Not malicious or malevolent in anyway. He radiated _something _and she couldn't quite place it. Before she could say anything, he turned to Cadence.

"Oh, hello Cadence. How goes your investigation?" Suzume asked. "Did you find Izuru?"

"No, he's way too tricky." Cadence sighed. "He dueled some people last night, but then he vanished. They say they saw him at the entrance exams too, but nobody knows if he was the one interfering with Naota's duel. But I'm sure it's him. I know I saw somebody pulling the light switch and I want to know why. That kid is a menace."

"He doesn't really seem that bad," said Tyler. "I mean, what's the big deal about pulling a light switch?"

"He's always got an ulterior motive. I know him. I don't know what it is, but I know it's probably bad. But that's not why I'm here," said Cadence. "I wanted to find a good book, fiction is always great for inspiration. How about you two, you looking for anything in particular?"

"We're looking for information on Duel Spirits," said Suzume. "We tried the nonfiction section, but they didn't have anything. Apparently unverifiable anecdotal stories count as fiction so here we are." He pulled out a book titled _Duel Spirit Enigmas. _"Found it."

"Duel Spirits?" Hikaru asked. "Not often you find somebody who believes in them," she said with a smile. "Or is this just for fun."

"I like to keep an open mind," said Suzume. "Besides, there are rumors this island is haunted. A few people said they saw spirits in the woods last night. Though some sources say they can be seen during daylight too."

"Suzume and I are planning to check it out in a bit," said Tyler. "Apparently they only come out in the dark." He shivered a little, but remained steadfast. "I'm not going to lie, I'm really scared to be out there just the two of us. You want to come too?"

Hikaru smiled. "We're actually meeting my cousin after class. We'll see if he wants to come though. I doubt it, he gets scared easily though. Anyway I need to find a good book." She walked around, glancing at a few shelves here and there. _Koukon Bridge? _She'd already read the entire series. _Fine Days on Wednesdays? Death and the Potato Farmer?_ "Okay, there are some really weird books here." She finally settled on one. _"The Heart of Esther?" _She plucked it from the shelf.

**~xXx~**

Naota and Ham parted ways after they delivered Professor Ho'omalu's forms to him. Naota couldn't help but stare as Hamlet walked toward the showers. He could see Ham's shoulder blades moving, and watch the creases in his back, and it was really, no. Naota shook his head, shaking the thoughts away. Ham was way too old for him anyway! And besides. He would never be good enough.

He glanced at the scars on Ham's legs one last time and started to walk away. Naota choked on an apology that refused to form coherently and headed to his next class. His mouth filled with the taste of bile mixed with regret.

In Japanese literature, Naota found himself sitting in the back corner, watching the wind blow through the fields as the teacher lectured about all the books the class would be reading that semester. Nothing quite caught his interest. When the teacher told everybody to make friends he hung out quietly in the background.

When class ended he headed to the card shop. It was surprisingly small, with a glass case displaying several rare and powerful looking cards. Students formed several lines to buy the newest boosters. Hundreds of boxes lined the shelves of the far walls. But they seemed to drain by the second as students kept buying more and more. Naota felt crowded as people forced their way into line behind him. He looked around, hoping to find Cadence or Hikaru but they weren't there yet. Somebody bumped him forward and he hit the White Dorm student in front of him. "Sorry," he apologized quickly.

The boy turned around and let out a sigh. Naota gasped when he recognized Jamison. Tensing up he averted his gaze and curled up defensively.

"Hey, loosen up. I know it was an accident, people here can be quite impatient," he scoffed at the boy behind Naota. "There's no reason to switch yourself to defense mode, Jesus kid. You really are a nervous wreck aren't you?"

"Sorry," Naota apologized with his head hung low.

"Oh God, you're the Shrinking Violet archetype, God I hate that," Jamison moaned. "Hey, the lines moving, come on." Jamison stepped up to the counter. "You ever been to this card shop before?" Naota shook his head. "Well, when a person makes a splashable card either for their own deck or for an assignment, sometimes it ends up available for everyone. You can purchase them individually or in the school's customs boosters. If somebody buys an individual copy of one of your cards, you get a bit of money too, so it's cool.

"Anyway the important part is, these cards are technically available to everyone, so you can use them in your deck," Jamison explained. "Even before we get our own custom archetypes. Not like it matters too much, we'll get those soon enough and it'll become a free for all." He scanned over the available cards and looked at the booster packs on the wall.

"I'll take five packs of the Duelist Genesis, three Crossroads of Chaos, four Legacy of the Valiants, six Judgments of the Light, four Rainbows of Decay, three Darklit Crashes, two Stellar Infernos, six Chaos Rebellions, and three Forests of the Lost Dreamers," Jamison slid his credit card forward. Naota recognized it as one of the Akimoto family's many credit cards and bit his lip.

Quickly doing the math in his head, Naota stumbled over the arithmetic after he got to thirty six, started over, got to thirty six again, and gave up. "That's a lot," he said. "Are you looking for any cards in particular?"

"If I wanted any cards in particular, I'd just _buy _them instead. It's faster than wasting my money gambling," Jamison sighed. He grabbed his cards from the cashier and smiled. He shoved most of them into his backpack, but he handed the three Forest of the Lost Dreamers packs to Naota. "Here, they have a lot of support for Beasts and Plants. You might find something good in here."

"Thanks," Naota said with a gasp of surprise. "So are we friends now?" Naota abandoned his place in line to follow Jamison as he walked out of the store.

"Friends?" Jamison said. "Don't be ridiculous. Why would we be friends, it was just a present." He glared at Naota. "Don't give me that puppy dog look. Don't you already have friends you can go bug."

"I have three," said Naota. His whisper barely made it over the wind.

"Three is good, you don't need to be friends with a jackass like me," Jamison began walking away, rolling his eyes. "Jesus Christ aren't you Shrinking Violets supposed to be easier to shake off?"

Naota sighed. He looked around for a place to sit when suddenly his PDA started to ring. "HAM!" He cried out with excitement. "Ham, how are you?" He pressed a button to open the video chat.

"Hey Naota, how are you?" Hamlet asked. "You look like something's wrong."

"I'm fine," Naota lied. "How about you?" He started to bob up and down on his feet.

"I'm doing good. Got nothing to do for the rest of the evening. You wanna hang out? We can meet somewhere."

"I'm at the card shop. I'm waiting for Hikaru and another friend of ours."

"Cool, I'll be there in just a minute," said Hamlet. "See you soon." He hung up.

Jamison stood frozen in place, his face open in surprise. "That was; you're friends with Malderess the Dragon King?"

"You know Ham?" Naota asked. "He's a friend of mine when I was little. Well, more of my brother's friend I guess. I kind of used to have a crush on him but he was way too old for me." Naota smiled. "I didn't know he came to Akimoto Academy, I just happened to bump into him today."

"Ham_let _is the Dragon King. Everybody on the island has heard of him. He's one of the school's top duelists. He's dating the current _to ranked student. _And he's made some of the school's most popular splashable dragon cards. Red Eyes Flare Dragon. Red Eyes Thunder Dragon. There are even rumors that I2 wants to release some of his cards to the general public! That doesn't happen very often."

"Dating?" Naota asked.

"I-I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking," said Jamison. "Well, those are just rumors. Maybe they're not true. You could just ask him yourself. Hey you gonna be alright?"

"I'm fine," lied Naota. His face twisted in pain. "I'll survive." Something inside his stomach churned. He felt like he needed to vomit. "It's not like I actually," he stopped midsentence. "Anyway, he's coming here soon if you want to say hi."

"No thanks. I have no interest in seeing the Dragon King until I'm ready to duel him. And to do that I need to prepare my deck. But," Jamison smiled and held out his PDA. "Let's exchange numbers," he said with a smirk. "We can use the infrared function, it's much faster." Both PDAs beeped and the deed was done. "If you ever want to duel him, let me know. I can give you some tips on how to deal with his best cards. That way you can kick his ass." Jamison walked into the distance, leaving Naota standing alone.

"Why would I want to do that?"

Naota thought to call Hikaru and Cadence, but decided against it. He didn't want to bother them when he could wait patiently and not be a nuisance. So he found a soft patch of grass and sat down to read _Koukon Bridge. _He was about halfway through the 800 page tome and things were heating up. He laughed at every joke and smiled after every page.

Things were so happy. They always were at the start of stories before they took a turn for the worst.

He made it through twenty pages more before his friends finally arrived. Hikaru, Cadence, and Ham all smiled as they walked toward him together. "Bumped into them on the way here," said Ham. He'd changed back into regular clothes and now wore a red T-shirt with a black blazer and blue jeans. Naota kind of missed the shirtless look, but he also kind of wanted a chance to see Ham's butt.

Naota blushed and scolded himself for thinking that. "Hey, how are you all?"

"We're doing well," said Hikaru. "We were just discussing the rumors of Duel Spirits on the island." Hikaru said with a smirk. "Apparently some students spotted a couple of spirits in the forest last night and this morning. You want to check it out?"

Naota shook his head. "No way, spirits are scary. I don't want to get in trouble. What if they like, try to steal our souls?"

Hamlet laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. A spirit can't steal your soul unless it beats you in a duel. And there's no way I'd let a spirit hurt my friends." He crossed his arms. Naota smiled. "Don't worry Naota, I'll protect you."

"Well if you're sure," Naota stuffed _Koukon Bridge _into his backpack. "Okay, let's check it out."

Cadence smirked. "Okay, but if you don't mind I'd like to buy some new cards first. The lines seems to have died down and I have the feeling my deck could use a few modifications."

Wandering around the forest you could easily mistake it for night no matter the time of day. This trees towered into the sky, their branches intertwining to form a canopy that blocked out the sunlight. The shade was cool and the air filled with hums of nature. Insects buzzed about as Naota tried to swat them away. Birds sang melancholy requiems from atop their trees. Naota's heart skipped a beat whenever a twig snapped beneath someone's feet. He hung close to Hikaru.

"Looks like our PDAs can't get a signal here," said Cadence. "I can't reach Tyler or Suzume." She returned her PDA to her backpack and kept pulling it through the dirt trail. It kept catching on twigs and rocks but she pulled it along just fine. Her footsteps on the other hand, were dainty and delicate. She managed to avoid stepping on any twigs and her steps were quieter than the wind.

Naota kept tripping over everything. He tripped on his feet and kept hitting his head on low hanging branches. He scraped his cheek and stubbed his toe. He kept sneezing and it made it hard for him to see. Twice slipped on a rock and fell backward into Ham's arms. He blushed like mad and pulled away.

"I hate nature," Naota mumbled.

"Really? But you use a nature deck!" Cadence exclaimed in surprise.

"It's more like I enjoy the idea of nature. Plants are beautiful and they smell great but I have terrible allergies. Animals are cute and adorable but they can _murder_ you." Naota shuddered. "They're a lot more vicious than people seem to realize. I mean, nature is beautiful. It's fun and fresh but it is fool of bugs and poison ivy and it can make you sick. I'd rather just look at nature from a blog."

"Same here to be honest," Cadence said with an airy giggle. "Nature is beautiful to paint but this forest is quite irritating. I wish I had the foresight to bring repellant. I hope I'm not itching too much by the evening."

"Oh right, it's still day," Naota said as he looked at the treetops. "It's so dark here I mistook it for night."

"Maybe that's why the spirits come out during the day," said Hikaru. "Assuming this isn't some hoax. I haven't seen anything yet. Though from a certain viewpoint I suppose that's a good thing."

"I'm sure they'd tell us if the forest was dangerous. It's got to be a massive liability issue. The Akimotos are indulgent not wasteful. They'd have to be pretty careless to keep a school on such a dangerous island. We may have come here by train but this isn't Hogwarts."

"I'm actually having fun," said Ham. "I think this forest might actually be a good place to go for a jog. Normally I just go around the island or I hit the gym."

"Please, no more talk of exercise," begged Cadence. "My delicate body was not meant to be tortured in such a fashion."

Naota heard a twig snap and spun around. "What was that?"

"It was just a twig," said Ham. "Don't worry Naota. Nothing's going to hurt you. It's probably just a hoax anyway. As much as I'd love to see a real Duel Spirit I doubt there are any here. I mean, nobody's mentioned them before."

Cadence paused. "A hoax does sound reasonable. And if they've never appeared before now, it would stand to reason that somebody is setting this up. Or perhaps they are real and somebody's done something to cause them to stir?" She shook her head. "I suppose speculation will get us nowhere. Nothing we can think of could possibly be proven until we find evidence. As much as I hate to admit this, we need to go farther into this forest."

They kept walking deeper into the forest for what seemed like a mile. Naota kept jumping at every sound they heard. Hikaru laughed, but Hamlet drew closer to his friend. "Hey, Naota, are you sure you're going to be okay? We can head back if you want."

"No, I'm fine," Naota said. He kept walking, though he slowly fell behind the group. He struggled to move, his legs felt tight like they were trapped in a vice. He hadn't walked much during vacation and now that the school year was in session, walking to all his classes was starting to take its toll on his legs.

Ham stopped to turn to him. "Hey, Naota, are you okay? Your legs bothering you? I can give you a piggy back ride if you want." He knelt over, waiting for Naota to climb on his back. He turned to Naota who looked red with embarrassment. "Don't worry, it'll be just like when we were little."

"Ham, you don't have to worry about me so much, I'll be fine," said Naota. He kept walking with his head tilted up at the forest top. "How big is this place anyway?" His legs wobbled and Ham watched him with concern.

Slowing down to meet Naota's pace, Hamlet watched over the younger boy. "Naota, you don't need to push yourself. If you're starting to hurt it's fine. I know you always want to prove yourself, but you shouldn't hurt yourself in the process."

Naota crossed his arms. "I just hate not being as good as everybody else," he whispered.

"Why be as good as anybody else when you can be as good as you?" Said Cadence.

"I, guess." Naota was far too polite to call his friend cliché or cheesy, even though that's what he thought. He knew she was only trying to help him, but it did nothing to make him feel better. He'd spent years feeling inferior to all his friends. Naota looked over to Hikaru who was wearing her White Dorm blazer and Ham who was wearing the Black Dorm blazer. Cadence wore a Silver Blazer, just like Naota, but she probably got a higher grade than he did on the test.

Cadence turned to Ham and smiled. "So, you and Naota seem to be pretty close. You two friends?"

"Yeah," answered Ham. "We haven't seen each other in years though. His brother and I used to play baseball together, and I would go to their house to play video games. Naota always wanted to play with us so I tried teaching him all the tricks I knew."

"Ham taught me how to play _Triple Triad," _Naota said with a smile. "And he taught me the infinite money trick so I could buy all the items I needed. And he helped me max my character's stats. He even taught me how to beat the bonus boss. He even let me borrow his copies of the other games so I could play those too."

"Sounds like a lot of fun," said Cadence. "I've played a lot of Square Enix games myself. I'm a huge fan of RPGs. Shinigami Conglomerate is pretty good too. I once considered making a few cards based on their games."

"I think I've seen maybe five or six Shinigami Conglomerate decks in my time here," said Ham. "I bet the Akimotos get a kick out of it when somebody makes an archetype based on their stuff."

"I wonder if anybody has made a Moink deck," said Cadence with a grin.

"Actually I've seen that once," said Ham. He laughed, along with Cadence and Hikaru. Naota stayed quiet as he surveyed the forest. "Something's wrong. It feels off somehow." A light flickered in the corner of his eye. "Hey, I think I saw something," he said as he pointed to his left.

"Think it was a spirit?" asked Ham as he jogged ahead of the group. Cadence and Hikaru followed closely with Naota trailing behind them. Cadence and Hikaru powerwalked while Naota trudged forward.

"Hopefully. I was honestly starting to get a bit bored," said Cadence.

Ham halted and turned to them. "Hey guys, be careful, there's a small cliff here."

Hikaru and Cadence peered over the edge. It was a sudden drop for a few feet. Not deadly, but it looked like it could hurt. Hikaru peeked over the edge then turned around to look at her surroundings. "I don't see anything, it must have vanished."

"Oh," said Naota. "I probably just imagined it." He picked up a burst of speed as he jogged toward his friends but he tripped in the dirt with a cry of "ooow." He scraped his knee on a twig and started to whimper.

"Need a hand?" Asked Ham. He helped Naota up to his feet. Naota blushed brightly as he dusted the dirt off his clothes.

"Thanks Ham," he said with am embarrassed smile. "I wonder what I tripped on." He turned around to see a light forming behind him taking the shape of a blue skinned creature with flowing green hair. He wore a black robe that wrapped around his body with loose sleeves that hung off his arms. He stared at Naota with a vacant gaze, as if he barely noticed the boy. Naota let a scream as he hopped backward.

"Finally!" Said Cadence, practically bouncing in place.

"Stay back Naota," said Ham.

Hikaru glanced at the ground and sighed she saw a half broken Duel Disk buried in the dirt. The paint was chipped and the card reader was snapped in half. Vampire Sorcerer rested neatly on top. The monster before the group was merely a hologram. She opened her mouth to tell the others but a cracking sound interrupted her. She spun frantically to see the ground giving way beneath Naota's feet. "Look out!" She screamed as she lunged forward, trying to grab her cousin.

Ham desperately spun around in an attempt to save his friend, but it was too late. Naota went over the cliff and tumbled to the ground below, rolling straight into a tree. He hit his head hard and felt an explosive pain tear through his body.

"Naota!" Screamed Hikaru. She looked at the cliff. It had to be at least two stories. Naota moaned as he struggled to move. "Naota, we'll be right there." She quickly scooped the card off the Duel Disk, causing the forgotten monster to vanish.

Ham stared over the edge. The drop was nearly vertical but not quite. "You guys try to go around. I think I can make it down there." He carefully set one foot on the side of the cliff and rode it down. He jogged toward Naota just as the younger boy stood up.

Naota groggily rose to his feet and tried to come to term with his surroundings. His head hurt so much. His arms and chest burned with pain. Blood dripped from his leg and forehead where a sharp rock had cut them. He tried to focus on his surroundings, but blood and dirt stung his eyes. Light and darkness danced in his vision every time he tried to keep them open. He stumbled forward, accidentally kicking something in the dirt.

Light gushed up like a fountain and formed the shape of a fat purple zombie with tattered clothing, a short bulbous head, and a long tail. Naota let out a shriek as he stepped backward and felt a hand on his shoulder. He frantically spun around unable to see anything around him. He lashed out with his foot kicking as hard as he could.

Naota heard a guttural groan just as he managed to open his eyes. Ham stood before him, sinking to the ground with his hands on his crotch. "Oh my God, Ham, I'm so sorry, I thought you were a monster."

Ham collapsed to his side. "I'll, be, fine," he whimpered.

Naota spun back toward the monster and took a step backward. "Stay back," he shouted at the creature. "I, I'll duel you if I have to," he said as he shuffled his deck. He wiped blood away from his forehead, praying he'd be able to see his cards.

"Relax," groaned Ham, still rolling on the ground in pain. "It's just a hologram. Somebody buried a Duel Disk in the ground." Pain pulsed through his body radiating from his groin into his stomach.

Naota crouched to the ground and saw the card. Picking it up, he stored it in his deck case. "So the spirits are all fakes?" He asked as his face turned red again.

"Careful man, you keep blushing and your face is going to stay that away," Ham said. He forced himself off the ground and into a crouching position. The pain hadn't subsided enough for him to stand, but it was getting a bit better. "God I didn't realize you had it in you to kick so hard. Man, I need to start wearing a cup around you."

"Sorry Ham, I got scared, I really didn't mean to!" Naota gasped. He dropped on his knees. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Relax. Not the first time I've been hit in the nuts," Ham said with a forced smile. "I'm a jock, I'm used to it. I get hit in the dragon balls all the time." He thought his joke might make Naota smile, but Naota still stared at him apologetically.

"I'm sorry. You keep getting hurt trying to help me," Naota said as he sat on the ground.

"I'll be fine," Ham said as sweat poured down his face. "Like I said, this is nothing new. Hell, this isn't even as bad as the last time you hit me in the nads." He forced a chuckle. "Just give me a second then I'll be good to go. What about you, you seem to be bleeding pretty bad."

"It's nothing," said Naota as he wiped the blood away. "It's pretty shallow, I'm sure it'll be," the bushes shook and rattled and Naota jumped into the air. "Who is it?" He gasped as he stepped backward.

"Relax, just us," said Hikaru as she and Cadence stepped out of the bushes. "Sorry we had to take the long way around." She pushes some leaves aside as she forced her way through. "Hey, what happened to you?"

"I made the mistake of scaring Naota. Kid's got a surprisingly strong kick," Ham said with a chuckle. "I'll be fine though." He rose to his feet and hopped in place. The idea was to shake the pain off, but it didn't really help. He could stand, but he still felt an emptiness in the pit of his stomach.

Hikaru dug through her bag and pulled out a spray and a band aid. "Okay, good thing I brought this," she said as she sprayed Naota's forehead. "A little disinfectant and everything should be fine." She gently applied the band aid as Naota winced.

They heard footsteps running toward them, and Hikaru and Cadence spun toward the noise. Naota curled up tight. Ham tried to turn but he sort of wobbled in place, too overwhelmed by pain for sudden movements. Tyler and Suzume burst through the forest. Suzume looked fine, but Tyler hunched over panting for dear life as he tried to catch his breath.

"We heard screaming," said Suzume. "We came as fast as we could. Did something happen. Did you see a spirit?"

"Sort of," Hikaru explained. She took a few steps to the right and kicked the ground, causing another hologram to spring to life. A dragon with a slender body, long wings, and rotting gray skin appeared before them. "They're just broken down Duel Disks projecting card images." She bent down to pick up the Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon. "Somebody's messing with us. I just can't figure out why. These are some pretty rare cards."

"Probably Izuru. I heard that the school was going to recycle some broken Duel Disks but somebody smashed the lock to the storage room and stole them. I bet it was him." Cadence tapped her foot thoughtfully. "That creep must be up to something."

Tyler stood up, having finally caught his breath. He adjusted his glasses as he surveyed the group. His eyes fell on Ham. "Hey, aren't you the Dragon King? I saw a video of one of your duels online. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," said Ham, still holding his crotch in pain.

Suzume sighed. "Looks like this whole trip was a waste. What a bummer. Hey Tyler you ready to head back. Maybe we can check out the arcade or something. I hear they have a new Duel Game that lets you use real cards to duel the computer."

Tyler stared at the group: Naota, Cadence, Hamlet, and Hikaru. He reached for his cards. "Let's have a duel right here." He said. "Hikaru and Cadence against Suzume and me. We can do a tag team."

"Wait, right here?" Hikaru asked. "Don't get me wrong a Duel sounds fun, especially after everything that happened, but I kind of need to get my cousin some medical attention."

"Why not?" Asked Naota. "I don't think Ham's going to be ready to move anytime soon."

"No, Hikaru is right. You need to see the nurse. I'll be okay on my own," groaned Ham.

"I need to rest my legs anyway," Naota said quickly as he sat on the ground. "So a Duel would be a fantastic way for us to pass the time. Besides, I want to see what kind of strategy Cadence uses."

Cadence readied her cards. "I'm game if you are."

"Well, if you insist," said Hikaru as she shuffled her deck.

"Sure, why not," said Suzume as he readied his Duel Disk.

"We just need to agree on the rules beforehand," said Tyler. "We each get our own field, since I hate tag duels where we share cards with our partner. And team mates share Life Points."

**Cadence and Hikaru: 8000**

**Tyler and Suzume: 8000**

"I'll go first," said Suzume as he drew six cards. "Then Cadence, Tyler, Hikaru, and me again. Nobody can attack on their first turn." He smiled. "I summon Harpie Lady 1!" (1300/1400) Feathers flashed in the darkness as they became a whirlwind to welcome the fierce monster. She descended from the sky in a flurry of colors. Her long red hair trailed through the air, her purple clothes covered her from head to talon, and green wings kept her hovering above the ground. A green glow surrounded her body as her attack points climbed upward. (1600/1400) "While she is on the field, all Wind monsters gain 300 Attack Points!" He grabbed two more cards. "I'll set these and end my turn."

Cadence drew her sixth card. "I summon Dark Valkyria!" (1800/1050) A beautiful woman appeared on her field. She had light brown skin and wore sleek purple and black armor that covered her body completely save for her face and arms. A helmet covered her head and hair. Metal wings stuck out of her back looking sharp and deadly. I'll set a card and end my turn."

Tyler drew and started his turn. "I'll set two cards and end my turn."

Hikaru frowned, stumped by Tyler's move. She had her suspicions, but no way to test them. Drawing her sixth card she looked over everything in her hand, searching for a way out of the trap she thought she saw. "I'll set one card as well. Then I activated Magical Citadel of Endymion!" Hikaru's Duel Disk slid open to allow the Field Spell into play.

A magical castle rose up around the duelists with four large towers forming a ring around it and smaller towers throughout the field. "Now every time a Spell card is activated I get a Spell Counter on my Citadel. If it would be destroyed then I get to remove a Counter instead. Once per turn it can also offer its own counters to activate other card's effects. And if a card with Spell Counters is destroyed, I can add those Spell Counters to my Citadel instead!"

Hikaru revealed her next spell. "Graceful Charity allows me to draw three cards and discard two," she said as she reached for her next card. She gnashed her teeth. Three chances to get what she wanted. Three chances to outwit a trap that might not even exist outside of her imagination. "So I'll discard these two and Normal Summon Defender the Magical Knight!" (1600/2000) A knight appeared on the field wearing bulky blue armor decorated with golden markings. He carried a large full sized shield, blue with gold markings and a red jewel in the center. He crouched before Hikaru with his sword pointed to the ground and his shield before his body. "In defense mode."

Tyler smirked.

"I activate Torrential Tribute and Harpie Vortex!" Suzume cried out. Green feathers circled his Harpie as an explosion of water filled the field. It obscured the battle so that nobody could see a thing. "Harpie Vortex is one of this school's original cards, once per turn it prevents a Harpie from being destroyed. Torrential Tribute is a more familiar card. When a monster is summoned it can destroy every monster on the field, leaving you two wide open for a direct attack!"

The water drained away revealing three monsters. Though Defender and Dark Valkyria were both soaking wet, they seemed to be unharmed. Hikaru smiled. "Tyler left his field wide open. Torrential Tribute is a popular card. I figured you might have something planned, so I set up my defenses. See, when Defender is summoned normally, he gets a Spell Counter. Once per turn when Spellcasters would be destroyed I can protect them all if I remove one Spell Counter for each."

"Great job," said Cadence. "And now Tyler is wide open. When my turn comes around, I'll be able to blast him with a trump card."

Tyler smirked. "Don't forget _my _face downs. This was a calculated risk. And I'd have been open regardless, sorry but you don't really think I'd leave myself completely defenseless do I?"

"I end my turn," said Hikaru.

So Suzume drew. "I summon Harpie Channeler!" (1400/1300)- (1700/1300) Another Harpie appeared. White ribbons tied her hair off into the shape of a bow. She had pale legs and black skin, with a white top and black shorts. Her wings were as dark as night and she carried a staff in her claws. "While on the field or in the grave, she becomes a Harpie Lady. Next I activate her effect. Once per turn I can discard a Harpie card to Special Summon a Harpie monster from my deck in face up Defense mode." Suzume placed one card in his graveyard as a tornado of black feathers signaled the arrival of a new card. "Welcome out a second Harpie Lady 1!" (1300/1400)- (1900/1400) "Next I activate Elegant Egotist to Special Summon Harpy lady Sisters from my deck!"

Three Harpie Ladies flew onto the field each wearing golden armor. One had pink hair, another orange, and one had blue hair, but they all looked beautiful and deadly. (1950/2100)-(2550/2100) Tyler smirked, knowing his monsters were enough to cause worry. "Next I activate Harpie Winds of Change. Once per turn when a Harpie Lady destroys a card in battle, I can draw 1 card from my deck, and if it is a Level 4 or lower Harpie monster I may Special Summon it."

**Magical Citadel of Endymion- 2 Spell Counters**

Suzume surveyed the field, there were two face down cards that could easily prove troublesome in the end, but he could deal a lot of damage if his gamble paid off. "Harpie Channeler, attack Cadence's Dark Valkyria."

Harpie Channeler flew forward waving her staff in the air. She brought it down toward Dark Valkyria, but Cadence merely smiled. "I activate my Trap Card, Twilight Impulse. Now if a Light or Dark monster would be destroyed in battle I can protect them by sending from my deck to the grave a monster of the opposite attribute." Her trap card rose up and enveloped Dark Valkyria in a magical glow. Harpie Channeler slammed her staff down onto Dark Valkyria's head but couldn't break through.

**Cadence and Hikaru: 7800**

"Okay Harpie Lady Sisters, destroy Defender!" Suzume thrust his arm out commanding his Harpies to take flight. They launched from the sky and swooped in like hawks, each one clawing at Defender the Mystic Knight. A black aura surrounded their prey, protecting Defender the Magical Knight from the Harpies' talons.

"Twilight Impulse is a Continuous Trap card and I can use it to protect any Light or Dark monster on the field. Sorry Suzume, but you wasted your attack. You can't even inflict battle damage," Cadence said with a smile.

"I guess I'll attack your Valkyria with my Harpie Lady 1 and end my turn." Valkyria stood stalwart as the Harpie clawed at her, unable to do any lasting harm.

**Cadence and Hikaru: 7700**

Cadence drew. "In order to keep Twilight Impulse in play I must offer a payment of 1000 Life Points. It's a little steep but I believe the cost will be worth it to prevent you from attacking us with a swarm of stronger monsters."

**Cadence and Hikaru: 6700**

"I Gemini Summon my Dark Valkyria to activate her effect, placing a Spell Counter on her which I will immediately remove to destroy your Harpie Lady Sister!" A dark glow enveloped Dark Valkyria as she shot of bullets of darkness that zoomed in on Harpie Lady Sister. They were deflected by a whirlwind of black feathers.

"Did you forget about Harpie Vortex?" Asked Tyler. "Once per turn Suzume can negate the destruction of a Harpie monster."

"Once per turn," Cadence said with an angelic giggle. "Now all his cards are vulnerable. Next, I Special summon Lightray Grepher by discarding a Level 5 or higher Light monster from my hand." Lightray Grepher was a man with bulging muscles and short black hair. He wore blue and white armor that looked almost like a professional wrestler's unitard. He waved a sword through the air and pointed it at the Harpies. "I can activate his effect. Once per turn I can discard a Light monster from my hand to banish one from my deck!" A card slid out of her deck and she removed it from play with a smirk.

From the sidelines, Ham let out a chuckle. "Man, she'd really get along with the princess."

Naota frowned. "I know what her strategy is, but I'm worried she'll run out of cards soon. With 8000 Life Points to cut through, she needs to stretch her cards even further than usual. Her strategy might work for a normal duel, but I'm worried about them."

"Don't worry Naota, everything is under control," said Cadence. "I'll have my Lightray Grepher attack Tyler directly!" Cadence's warrior charged forward raising his sword high above his head.

"I activate Scrap iron Scarecrow!" Tyler called out. A metal scarecrow swung up from the ground to deflect the warrior's sword. Metal shrieked against metal as sparks flew. "This card will negate your monsters attack and set itself back on the field!"

"I still have Dark Valkyria," said Cadence. "She'll attack you directly!" The fairy flew forward on wings of steel and struck at Tyler with one of her metal gauntlets. Tyler cried out as he fell backward. "Sorry, but your bluff didn't work. You were only ready for one attack weren't you?"

**Tyler and Suzume: 6200**

"Wait, but weren't you planning to go after my Harpies?" Suzume asked. "Why did you use its effect earlier when you could have kept the attack boost?"

"I wanted you to use up your Vortex's effect earlier, just in case Dark Valkyria got destroyed. Now that my battle phase is over, it's time for me to use this." She smirked. "By discarding one card OI can activate Lightning Vortex." Cadence emptied her hand as lightning rained down from the sky striking at all the Harpies.

Suzume turned to his partner and smirked.

"Big mistake! I activate the Continuous Trap card Mirror Palace. This allows me to copy the effect of one Continuous Trap on the field, and I pick Harpie Vortex. Since all the Harpies would be destroyed at once, I can protect them all!" Tyler cried out.

"Sorry Cadence, but your hand is empty and you'll be top decking from now on. And don't forget I have my Harpie Wind of Change to restore my hand," Suzume said with a smirk.

**Magical Citadel of Endymion- 2 Spell Counters**

"Don't forget you'll need to destroy our monsters first," said Hikaru. "Good luck pulling that off with her Twilight Impulse in play!"

Cadence merely smiled. "Top decking is never a bad situation if every card in your deck is powerful enough to lead you to victory. And believe me, I have many ways to win. For now I will end my turn. Come now Tyler, I've been waiting to see your play style. If I am correct I believe you'll be using Amazoness cards."

Tyler froze as he drew. "H-how did you know?" He frowned. "You can't have figured that out. Are you cheating?"

"Simple deduction."

Tyler growled. "I activate The A. forces. Now all my Warriors get 200 Attack per each Warrior or Spellcaster I control." Tyler slapped another card onto his Duel Disk. "I summon Amazoness Paladin!" (1700/300) A dark skinned woman wearing white clothes appeared on the field. Her top covered her head but exposed her belly. Long blonde hair spilled down her back. She wore a short skirt and carried a sharp sword. "She gains 100 Attack for each Amazoness I control." (2000/300) "So now she'll attack your Grepher, Cadence!" Amazoness paladin charged toward Lightray Grepher and slashed at the monster. Cadence merely smirked as she slipped a card from her deck into the graveyard.

**Cadence and Hikaru: 6400**

**Magical Citadel of Endmyion: 4 Spell Counters**

"I end my turn!"

Hikaru drew her next card. "I summon Magician's Valkyria!" (1600/1800) A beautiful blonde magician appeared on the field wearing light blue armor that covered the top of her body and a beautiful pink skirt. Pink fabric hung off her arms. White wings folded neatly against her back. She carried a beautiful golden staff that she twirled through the air. "And she'll attack your Attack position Harpie Lady 1!"

"But she has lower attack!" Said Tyler.

"I activate Magician's Circle, all players are now forced to Special Summon a Spellcaster from their deck with 2000 or less attack in Attack mode!" Hikaru cried out as a magical rune glowed to life beneath their feet.

"Suzume and I don't have any!" Said Tyler.

"Then I'll just have to Special Summon Lightray Madoor!" (1200/3000) A blue doll like creature with black leather pants and bulging muscles appeared on the field. It had a pale white mask, long white hair, and purple fins growing out of its back.

"I bet you can guess what I'm bringing out!" Hikaru said with a giggle.

"Don't get too cocky. A Magician's Valkyria lock down isn't too hard to counter," said Suzume as he watched a second Valkyria materialize on the field. She twirled her staff as she spun around and high fived her friend. (1600/1800)

Magician's Valkyria smiled at her comrade as she charged forward. Darkness enveloped her as she stacked the Harpie with her staff only to receive a claw to the face. Cadence smirked as her Twilight Impulse protected her friend's monster.

**Cadence and Hikaru: 6100**

Cadence smirked. "Looks like we've got a surprising amount of synergy."

Hikaru smiled. "Next I activate Spellbook of Secrets to add a Spellbook from my deck to my hand. I pick" she thought for a second before grabbing her next card. "Spellbook of the Master! I activate it by revealing the Spellbook of Fate in my hand. Now it can copy the effect of the Spellbook of Secrets in my graveyard allowing me to add a Spellbook of Judgment to my Hand!" Hikaru smirked. "I end my turn."

**Magical Citadel of Endymion: 6 Counters**

Suzume drew. "Heh. I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards," Suzume smirked as he looked at the spoils of his spell card. "I activate United We Stand on Harpie Lady Sisters. They now gain 800 Attack for each monster on my field." Suzume's grin grew brighter by the second. (5750/2100) "And I activate Harpie Harmony by targeting my Harpie lady Sisters. Currently this card's attack has been boosted by 3800 Points. Until the end of my turn, my other Harpies lose their attack boosts, but gain half of my Harpie Lady Sisters'!" (3200/1400) (3200/1400) (3300/1300) "I'll switch my Harpie lady 1 into attack mode and begin the assault. Harpie lady Sisters will attack Lightray Grepher!"

**Magical Citadel of Endymion: 9 Counters**

Cadence did nothing to protect her monster as the Harpie tore through it.

**Cadence and Hikaru: 2050**

"But why didn't you?" Tyler was baffled. Why wouldn't Cadence want to at least try to protect her monster?

"She's going to survive this round, but just barely." Said Suzume. "By letting me destroy two of her monsters she'll get rid of all possible targets, thus halting my attack. Smart move. But it won't be good enough to turn this duel around!" Suzume grinned. "First of all, my Harpie Winds of Change allows me to draw a card. Harpie Channeler, tear through her Dark Valkyria."

**Cadence and Hikaru: 550**

Suzume watched his monster swing her staff like a baseball bat, smashing the Valkyria into pieces. "Your move Cadence." Suzume's Harpies lost a significant attack boost (1900/1400) (1900/1400) (2000/1300) But they were still enough to send shivers down Naota's spine as he watched the duel.

Cadence drew a card and smirked. "First of all, Twilight Impulse destroys itself because of its effect. Well, cost really. I can't afford 1000 Life Points after that onslaught. But that doesn't matter. I simply need to draw a new card to save me."

Naota felt dizzy as he watched Cadence reach for her deck. He felt a strange warmth washing over him, much like during his duel with Hawthorne. He could have sworn he heard a giggle, and he thought he saw something flashing in the corner of his eye, but he pushed it out of his mind.

"First I shall switch my Lightray Madoor into defense mode." (1200/3000) "Now, as I have four Light monsters in my graveyard," said Cadence. "So I can Special Summon Lightray Daedalus!" (2800/1500) "Also in defense mode." A large white sea serpent with sharp teeth, a blue underbelly, and blue fins running down its back appeared on the field. "Now I can target a Field Spell and two other cards to destroy them all. So I pick the Citadel, United We Stand, and Harpie Vortex!" Light fell upon the field, raining from the heavens like divine judgment. Ripples in the air protected the Citadel but nothing stopped the light from shattering Harpie Vortex or United We Stand. The Harpie Lady Sisters shrieked angrily. (2550/2100)

**Magical Citadel of Endymion: 8 Counters**

Tyler's Mirror Palace shattered as well. "Since the card it was copying has been destroyed, I lose my Mirror Palace as well."

Cadence sighed. "To be honest, I don't think destroying your Vortex matters much anymore. If I'm right this duel will end with a massive amount of effect damage reducing your Life Points to 0. But we'll see. We still have a few turns before that can happen. Tyler, it is your move."

Tyler drew his next card. "I summon Amazoness Swordswoman." (1500/1600)-(1900/1600) Amazoness Swordswoman was a thin but muscular woman with very little clothing and long hair flowing wildly. She carried a thin but pointed sword. She smiled at her partner, the Amazoness Paladin, as the Paladin's attack rose. (2300/300) "Next I activate Amazoness War Cry! This turn my Amazoness monsters can attack any card on the field regardless of card effects."

Hikaru gasped, but Cadence smirked. "It will be fine. All damage will be negated."

**Magical Citadel of Endymion: 9 Counters**

"But this card does have another effect. Every time an Amazoness destroys a monster in battle, I get to destroy one Spell or Trap on the field." Tyler smirked. "So now go, Amazoness Fighter and Paladin, destroy her Valkyrias!"

The two Valkyrias cried out in shock as the Amazoness attackers sliced through them. Hikaru gasped as the force of each blow sent a shockwave throughout the field that would have destroyed her Citadel if not for its magical protection.

**Magical Citadel of Endymion: 7 Counters**

"It's your move."

Hikaru drew a card. "First I will activate my Spellbook of Judgment. Next I will follow up with Spellbook of Fate to banish three Spellbooks from my graveyard. So I banish Spellbook of Secrets, Spellbook of the Master, and Spellbook of Judgment to banish Amazoness Swordswoman!"

Tyler watched his monster vanish into a vortex of light as Amazoness Paladin lost some attack. (2000/300) "Next I'll activate Monster Reborn to bring back a Magician's Valkyria." (1600/1800) "In defense mode." The blonde magician crossed her arms as she kneeled beside her comrade. "I'll end my turn and let my Spellbook of Judgment activate its effect. I used two spells after I activated it so I can add two Spellbooks to my hand and then Special Summon a Level 2 or Lower Spellcaster from my deck." A purple robed magician appeared before Hikaru. "So I call forth Arcane Apprentice!" (1000/400) "In defense mode."

**Magical Citadel of Endymion: 10 Counters**

"And the cards I am adding to my hand are two Spellbooks of Life," said Hikaru.

Suzume smirked as he drew a new card. "I activate Harpie Wind Blast. First it destroys one spell or trap none the field, and I pick the Citadel. Then, much like Amazoness War Cry, this trap card allows me to destroy a spell or trap whenever a Harpie destroys a monster. And since I control three or more Harpies, I can activate it from my hand.

"First thing's first, Harpie Lady Channeler, destroy Daedalus." Suzume watched his monster tear through Cadence's dragon. "Now, Harpie Lady 1, destroy Magician's Valkyria!"

"Using Defender's effect I remove a Spell Counter from my Citadel to protect Valkyria!" Hikaru smirked as her magical knight intercepted the blow, blocking the Harpie's talons with his shield.

"No matter. Harpie Lady 1 number two, attack her Valkyria again!"

Defender the Magical Knight watched helplessly as the ferocious Harpie tore through his friend. Winds tore through the battlefield but they could not touch the city. Suzume smiled. "Looks like Defender is getting spared. Harpie Lady Sisters, destroy her tuner so she can't Synchro Summon her Tempest Magician."

The final Harpie card tore through Hikaru's tuner monster, causing cadence to smile.

**Magical Citadel of Endymion: 5 Counters **

"Your move."

Cadence drew a card. "She has Spellbook of Life you know. Just because it's going to mess with her monster's level does not mean it won't be able to work. I'll set a card and end my turn."

Tyler drew. "It doesn't matter. If I can get through her Defender, then we win this duel. I summon Amazoness Trainee!" (1500/1300)-(1900/1300) Tyler summoned a woman with long purple hair tied up on her head. She wore a blue outfit and carried a rope dart. "And don't forget this means paladin gets stronger too!" (2300/300) "Now I activate a second A. Forces to further boost their attack!" (2300/1300) (2700/300) "Paladin, destroy her Defender!"

"Sorry, not happening, I remove a Spell Counter from my Citadel!" Hikaru's Defender the Magical Knight blocked the Paladin's sword.

"Looks like my Trainee finished the job." Tyler smirked as the Amazoness Trainee whipped her chain around like a lasso and tore through Defender. "Your monster is sent to the bottom of your deck and my Amazoness Trainee gains 200 Attack points." (2500/1300)

**Magical Citadel of Endymion: 5 Counters**

"Your move."

Cadence smirked. "Come on Hikaru, it's time to end this duel."

"But, how are we going to do that?" Hikaru said as she drew her card. "Okay I'll activate a Spellbook of Life by revealing the other. This will let me banish the Apprentice Magician I discarded with Graceful Charity. This allows me to revive my Arcane Apprentice and raise its level by 2." (1000/400) "Next I activate Spell Power Grasp. Its effect lets me add another Spell power Grasp to my hand so I can use it at a later time, and it adds an extra Spell Counter to one card I choose, so that's one extra counter for my Citadel."

"Next I'll Normal Summon another Apprentice Magician (400/800) and use his effect to add a Counter to my Citadel." A blond magician appeared. He had short hair and a long purple robe. He lifted his staff high as he charged the Citadel with his magic.

**Magical Citadel of Endymion: 9 Counters**

"Now I'll tune my Level 4 Arcane Apprentice with my Level 2 Apprentice Magician," said Hikaru as her monsters jumped into the air. Arcane Apprentice transformed into four green rings that became a portal for Apprentice Magician. "Furious winds below with the voice of my soul. My might is the raging storm that knocks down the barriers to my victory. Become the typhoon that will tear down all in my way. Synchro Summon- Tempest Magician!" (2200/1400)

She had long blue hair that fell down her back like a waterfall and an elegant blue dress that fell to the ground. A fierce smirk appeared on her lips. Suzume smiled as he looked from the monster to Hikaru.

"When your monster is summoned she gets a Spell Counter. And she can get more by discarding cards in your hand. Your tuner allows you to add an Assault Mode Activate to your hand when you send it to the grave as part of a Synchro Summon. That will give you just enough Counters to win. The question is, do you have Assault Mode Activate in your deck. Because judging from the look on your face, I'm guessing no."

"I don't have any Assault Mode monsters," said Hikaru. "But I will discard these two cards to add two counters to my Tempest Magician. That makes 12 counters in total on my field, enough to inflict 6000 damage."

**Magical Citadel of Endymion: 9 Counters**

**Tempest Magician: 3 Counters**

"That will bring us down to 200 Life Points. But if you try to attack, Tyler will activate Scrap Iron Scarecrow and it will be my turn. I'll attack with my Harpies and win, unless Cadence can protect you."

Hikaru looked to Cadence as if asking for some reassurance. Cadence smiled. "Nope. My trap card can't do a single thing to stop a monster from attacking."

"Sorry, Hikaru, looks like you lose," said Suzume.

Cadence laughed. "Oh I wouldn't say that. My trap may not be good for defense, but it can still help. Here, why don't I show you?" She activated her face down.

Suzume, Tyler, Ham, and Hikaru all gasped. Naota stared in silent disbelief.

Cadence giggled. "Pitch. Black. Power. Stone." She gestured to Tempest Magician. "My card will add three Spell Counters to itself. And Tempest Magician can remove all Spell Counters from the field. Hikaru, would you do the honors?"

Hikaru smirked. "Tempest Magician! Tempest Scythe Whirlwind!" Hikaru watched as her monster spun around and around, generating a fierce whirlwind around herself. She stopped suddenly, hurling the wind at Tyler and Suzume. It blew through the grass and knocked both boys off their feet.

"That's 15 Counters or 7500 damage," said Cadence.

**Tyler and Suzume: 0**

"You lose," Cadence bowed.

Suzume smiled as he stood up and dusted himself off. "I'm surprised you had that card. I admit it does work well with Dark Valkyria, but I never expected you to keep that in your deck just to support one card."

"Well, I do run three copies of Dark Valkyria, but truth be told, I included it for Tempest Magician," Cadence said with a smile.

Naota stared at her in disbelief. "You knew we'd run into Tyler and Suzume and you knew that you'd end up having a tag duel with them didn't you?"

"Yes indeed. We knew they'd be here in the forest somewhere and it stood to reason we'd run into them. And if we didn't find any spirits, we'd probably be bored. And when Duelists are bored there's usually one thing that happens."

"But how'd you know we'd have a tag duel?" Tyler asked.

"Well, I just figured that was most likely. And like Suzume said, Pitch Black Power Stone does work with Dark Valkyria, so it isn't a complete waste if I ended up having a one on one match." Cadence smirked. "But I was pretty sure you'd to duel with Suzume at your side."

"And what about the Amazoness cards?" Tyler asked. "How did you know I'd use those?"

"Oh I have my ways," said Cadence. "When you're me it pays to find out as much as you can about the other students in the school. And keeping track of information has become a bit of a specialty of mine. Now, anyway, I'm ready to get out of this forest. Hamlet, are your testicles feeling better?"

Ham nodded. "Yeah, they're fine, let's get out of here."

They began walking toward the forest entrance, but Naota couldn't shake an odd feeling. Something else was there watching over them. Just because the Spirits they found were fake, didn't mean they all were. And he could swear that a Spirit was near.

"Wait, wait," Morrigana spun around in her office chair, listening to Ribbon Kuriboh's story. "He kicked Malderess in the nuts?" She laughed so hard she nearly fell out of her chair. "Man, I would have paid to see that. Poor Malderess."

Ribbon Kuriboh floated about reciting the story in squeaks. Morrigana nodded along with a vicious smirk spreading on his face.

"Tyler's nothing special, but Suzume on the other hand. Well, he might just have what it takes to push Naota to the next level. Too bad he wasn't the one dueling Naota. I'd try to manage it for the exam duels tomorrow, but I've already got somebody else in mind and I'm afraid it's too late to change that." She smirked.

"Good work. Keep staying close to him. It's great that he's starting to sense you, but we need him to be able to see you in order for us to move on to the next phase. Oh don't worry, things'll sort themselves out in time."

**Original Cards List**

**Harpie Vortex**

Continuous Trap

Once per turn if a Harpie Monster(s) would be destroyed you can negate the destruction of that card(s)

_Harpie Lady stands in a black vortex._

**Twilight Impulse**

Continuous Trap

When a Light monster would be destroyed in battle you may send a Dark monster from your deck to the grave to negate that card's destruction. When a Dark monster would be destroyed in battle you may send a Light monster from your deck to the grave to negate that card's destruction.

During your standby phase pay 1000 life Points or destroy this card.

_Dunames Dark Witch stands before an army of monsters as darkness and light engulf her._

**Mirror's Palace**

Continuous Trap

Select 1 face up Continuous Trap on the field. This card gains the effect of the selected target. If the selected target is destroyed, destroy this card as well.

_An army of human soldiers and magicians wander through a labyrinth of mirrors._

**Harpie Harmony**

Spell

Target 1 Harpie Lady or Harpie lady Sisters you control. This turn the attack of all other Harpie's monsters becomes equal to their own original attack plus half the difference between the selected monster's current and original attack.

_An army of Harpie Ladies descend upon a field of human warriors._

**Amazoness War Cry**

Spell

This turn Amazoness monsters you control may attack any monster on the field regardless of card effects. All damage is reduced to 0. This turn, whenever an Amazoness monster you controls destroys a monster your opponent controls, selected one Spell or Trap on the field and destroy it.

**Harpie Wind Blast**

Trap

Activate only if you control a Harpie lady or Harpie Lady Sisters. Destroy one Spell or Trap on the field. Then, until the end phase of this turn, you may destroy one more Spell or Trap whenever a Harpie Lady or Harpie Lady Sisters destroys a monster in battle.

If you control three or more Harpie monsters you may activate this card from your hand.

_Harpie Lady tears through a library of spellbooks._

**As many of you who know me have seen, I love nutshots. I will try to keep them in check for the purpose of keeping the tone a bit more serious, but there will be some in the next chapter and in the future.  
><strong>**Most of them will probably be focused on Ham, though Professor ****Ho'omalu and a few guest characters may be unlucky as well.**


	5. Dark Hearts

**Author's Notes: Okay got a lot to say this time. So bear with me. Or skip to the story, your choice.**

**Haven't had a computer in a while so I couldn't finish this chapter. Working on it at school. Hope I don't create too many continuity errors. It's been months since I updated. A lot has happened in real life and in the Yu-Gi-Oh anime. Lol Red Eyes Black Flare Dragon. I was one word off on that one.**

**I actually had up to the end of [Name Redacted]'s duel with [Name Also Redacted] written. As it stands I plan to include a second duel this chapter, or I may just split everything into two and end it before the next duel.**

**I will be including PENDULUM MONSTERS, but their origins will be AU territory.**

**God I am loving Arc V. So many plot bunnies.**

**And thanks to **_**superedfan**_**, sorry I haven't replied to your review. I've just been having a … bad few months. Thanks for letting me know about the visual breakdowns. I didn't realize this site was removing them.**

**Disclaimer: I'd be able to afford a computer if I owned Yu-Gi-Oh and/or GX. **

**Chapter 4: Dark Hearts**

Naota's head churned out a single thought upon waking. _'I feel like a girl today.' _

A hot shower was the perfect way to get the day started. Naota massaged her favorite strawberry scented shampoo into her scalp. The school provided shampoo for all its students, but Naota made sure to take a supply of her own. She hoped it would last for a while.

She dressed in a cute outfit, starting with a light blue top that hung off her shoulders, with a pink trim at the hems. The sleeves hung low off her wrists like a magician's robes. A broken pink heart floated in the middle of her chest. She next donned a pink skirt that didn't cover very much. She liked the feeling of air on her legs.

Naota walked to her sock drawer to pick out a pair of socks. She had white, pink, light blue, purple, black, and more. She ran her fingers over them, feeling how warm and fuzzy they were, when suddenly her PDA beeped.

Grabbing a pair of black socks randomly, she hurried to her bed and plucked the PDA off her nightstand where she'd placed it to charge after the previous night's events. She expected a text or message of some sort, but instead she saw a bunch of pictures from Ham.

The first few showed Ham in a football uniform, a red jersey with white pants, playing on a wide open grassy field. He ran with the ball held tightly at his side, pulled his arm back to make a pass to a team mate, got tackled by an opposing player wearing a black uniform, and did a bunch of other stuff Naota was sure would make more sense to her if she knew a single thing about the sport. Next came a picture of him with his helmet off, smiling after a game. He wore a warm smile even though his face was soaked in sweat. Then there was another picture where he'd removed most of his pads. He sat on a curb wearing his jersey and football pants along with his thigh pads and kneepads, though his shoulder pads were gone. Naota almost started to drool.

Next came the baseball pictures, Ham in full catcher's gear, Ham without his facemask, Ham standing up to bat. A series of pictures showed him swinging at an incoming ball only to take a direct hit to the cup, causing him to double over.

Finally a message read: _This happened at a game last year. Ho'omalu actually recorded it and put in on Youtube if you want to see. _Naota laughed, not at his friend's accident but at the message. It was Ham's way of saying _don't worry about it, it was an accident._

Naota began typing her reply.

_Hey Ham, I'm still sorry about last night. I got really scared and thought you were an evil spirit on the attack. I hope you're feeling better today!_

She smiled remembering the last time it happened.

It was the summer and Naota was eleven-years-old, playing Final Fantasy VIII on his PSP. He sat on the floor of his bedroom when Ham and Dai both walked in. Naota didn't look up as he continued working on the game. The boss was giving him a tiny bit of trouble but not too much. He did want the fight to end though.

Ham and Dai were laughing, talking about their girlfriends and how cute they were. Ham suddenly leaned down next to Naota and said, "Hey you know you can just use a Phoenix Down right? He's a zombie so healing spells will hurt him."

"Really?" Naota asked as he tried it out. The boss went down in a single hit.

"Yeah, a lot of games are like that. Not all of them though. It's kind of hard to keep track. So, Final Fantasy huh? Which ones have you played?" Ham asked with a smirk. Back at the age of thirteen, his muscles hadn't yet developed as much, but he was still really fit.

"This is the first one I've played, my best friend said he really liked it. He said VI and VIII are his favorites, but VII, IX, and X are good too. He was just starting XIII and he said he liked that one too, though it had some major problems he'd iron out if given the chance." Naota kept his eyes focused on the game.

"Yeah, they're all pretty good. My name's Hamlet. I'm your brother's friend," said the blond teen.

Dai took off his sweat soaked shirt and tossed it on the floor as he dug through the closet looking for something cleaner. He pulled out a red raglan shirt and pulled it over his head. He smirked at his friend and brother. "Hey, I'm gonna go get some snacks. Anybody hungry."

"No thank you," said Naota.

"Yeah sounds great. I'm starved," Ham said with a smile. "So," he returned his attention to Naota. "You're Naota right? Dai mentions you a lot." He stared at the screen and noticed the character names. Naota had renamed the leads _Yuu _and _Naoko. _

"He talks about you too sometimes. Your name is from a play right?" Asked Naota.

"Yeah, it's kind of silly but my mom likes plays," Ham answered. "To be honest sometimes I wish my name was something else."

"How about Ham?" Naota suggested.

The blond boy frowned. "Okay I think that's even worse than Hamlet."

It was Naota's turn to frown. "What's wrong with Ham? I think it's a cute name."

"Well, okay, you can call me Ham then," he decided with a smile.

That was the first day they met. Ham was always coming over to hang out with Dai. They'd shoot hoops in the front yard, play some video games, or hang around doing homework. Every so often Ham would help Naota out with a game that was bugging him. "You know if you play the card game you can get really good items right? Oh hey, if you want to make your characters really strong, you should get to the part with the raft and keep going left so you go in a circle, just make sure you keep healing. There's actually a secret glitch that will let you raise your character's HP and MP really high."

Soon enough he was coming over to hang out with Naota, not just Dai.

"So, Naota, you talk to your friend lately?" Ham came in wearing a white A-shirt and basketball shorts. He smiled at his friend as he sat on Naota's bed, watching the younger boy play a Wii game by Shinigami Conglomerate.

"No, he isn't answering his phone," said Naota, curling up into a ball to hug his knees. He stared at the screen waiting for time to pass in game. He was wearing a long sleeve red shirt and blue jeans.

"Why not? That's rude of him." Ham frowned. "He's your friend he should call you back when he can."

"Well, he's really busy," Naota said a bit aggressively. He liked Ham, he really did. But Yuu was too important to him. If he had to choose between them… Naota shook his head in annoyance. "Dai's not here right now, he's with his girlfriend."

"I know. I wanted to come hang out with you. I mean, you're my friend too, Naota," said Ham. He patted the younger boy on the shoulder. Naota smiled. "Oh hey, I have this game. Did you get the Stygian Flare Blade yet? It's the best weapon you can get until the end game."

"How do you get it?"

"Well, first you need to reunite Princess Hazel with her girlfriend so that you unlock the upgrades to Gardenia City," Ham smiled as he explained the complicated process that involved helping train a blacksmith, finding the right materials, enchanting them with magic and more.

After Ham came over to visit Naota a few more times, Naota braved the trip to his friend's house. Hamlet lived with both his parents, who were both about twenty nine. Ham's father, Caesar Malderess, was a tall muscular man with a thick beard and short black hair. He wore a tank top and swim trunks as he watched Ham, Dai, and Naota playing in the pool.

Naota wore a blue swimsuit with long sleeves that covered his arms. Ham and Dai wore black swim trunks and dove in with their shirts off. Naota, at that age, wanted to deny any form of attraction to other human beings, but he couldn't help but stare at Ham's body, trying not to blush. The older boy had been working out more, and it was starting to show.

Naota could barely swim and forced himself to stay in the shallow end of the pool while Dai and Ham did laps. "So how are things with your girlfriend?" Dai asked his friend.

Ham did a backstroke and smirked. "We broke up." He sounded at peace as he kept swimming around. "Things weren't working out so she dumped me."

"Really, man, that sucks," Dai said.

"Nah, I'm over her. There's plenty of other girls who'd be willing to date a good looking guy like me," he gave a cocky grin, which caused Dai to explode in laughter.

"Good looking guy huh? We'll see about that," Dai smirked.

Ham turned to Naota and cocked his head to one side. "So, what do you think? Am I a good looking guy?"

Naota blushed and nearly choked on pool water.

From that point on, Naota hung out with Ham more and more. He was already cheering for Dai during his school's baseball games, but now he cheered for Ham as well. He watched some of their casual games in the park with friends.

"Hey why don't you try?" Ham suggested, handing the bat to Naota. "It's really easy, just hit the ball. I'll throw it real slow. Then once you hit it, you run to first base."

Yet as slow as Ham threw it, Naota struck out. He crawled away in embarrassment to sit on the bench. "Hey don't worry man. You did a good job!" The others boys all cheered him on. Naota knew them well. Well, maybe not well. He'd met them a few times before. Some were on the baseball team and he'd see them at the games. A few went over to his house to hang out with Dai, or over to Ham's to go swimming, but he never really clicked with them. They were nice, just not really his friends.

Naota had a hard time making friends. He always felt on guard, like he had to hold himself back.

They kept playing for what seemed like hours until Ham turned to him with a smile. "Hey, so maybe batting isn't your thing, but how about pitching?" He tossed a glove to Naota and Naota accidentally dropped it on the ground. "You just have to throw the ball as hard as you can as fast as you can."

Ham stood at Home Plate, readying his bat to swing. His muscles relaxed. He didn't intend to hit it very hard. Naota held the ball in his hand and imitated his brother as best as he could, pulling his arm back and snapping his wrist forward. The ball crashed into the dirt and rolled toward Ham.

"Okay, maybe one more try," said Ham. He tossed the ball back to Naota who managed to catch it in his glove.

Naota leaned forward, throwing the ball as hard as he could as fast as he could. He put so much strength into it that he forgot to aim. And he hit Ham in the crotch.

"Ooof," Ham doubled over in pain, dropping his baseball bat to the ground. The other boys, Dai included, all started to laugh.

"Oh my god, Ham, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to," Naota panicked. He dashed to a nearby ice cooler that one of the boys had borrowed from his family. It was full off sodas and juices. Naota grabbed a paper towel and used it to wrap up some ice. He dashed back to Ham and offered it to his friend. "Here, this should help."

"Thanks," squeaked Ham, taking the chunks of ice.

"I'm really, really sorry." Naota apologized. He'd never suffered a hit there, but he'd seen it happen to his brother before, and he'd seen it on TV. He could only imagine how badly he'd hurt his friend.

"It's okay, it was an accident."

No matter how hard Ham tried to tell Naota that it was okay, he wouldn't listen. When Ham limped home that day and he explained what happened to his dad, Caesar just laughed and complained that he didn't get a chance to record it. He told Naota not to worry about it.

After all, accidents happened.

Way too often it would turn out.

"I know the way from here," said Naota. Rain poured on the two boys as Ham walked Naota home. "You can go back, I'll be fine." Twelve-year-old Naota didn't feel the need for a babysitter, but Ham didn't want his young friend to travel all alone. Naota wore a black raincoat with the hood up and Ham wore a thick black jacket that absorbed most of the water. He carried an umbrella for the both of them.

"The weather's pretty bad, and drivers are complete assholes sometimes. You never know when one of them is going to speed through the street or run a red light," said Ham.

They walked through a parking lot filled with lots of cars. Oil leaked onto the asphalt and ran through the streets in rainbow colors. They passed a pharmacy selling medicine and candy, walked right by a Chinese restaurant with a tacky window painting, and kept walking as they passed the convenience store advertising their warm and delicious fried chicken. Naota shivered and his stomach rumbled.

"Hey Naota, you hungry? I have some money if you want to get a snack," said Ham.

"Uhh, sure," Naota said as

**~xXx~**

A loud knock on the door quickly interrupted Naota's memory. She looked up and let out a yelp.

A demonic figure stood on her windowsill, beckoning her to open. He wore a brown torn up shawl over his body, like a poncho. A noose hung from around his neck as if it were a tie. And a cloth mask covered his face, with holes opened only for his eyes. The stitched on smile wasn't doing him any favors in terms of appearance, but Naota figured he probably didn't care about any of that. Belts adorned his black pants, with metal buckles red as blood. He twirled a silver pocket watch in one hand and held his duel disk on the other.

"Hello, Naota," he said in a low guttural voice. He sounded demonic but not malevolent. "It is nice to finally meet you."

"Are you Izuru?" Naota asked. Her body trembled and shook as she reached for her PDA and quickly dialed Cadence and Hikaru. "You're really starting to creep me out."

"Why yes, I am the one named Izuru. I have been watching you from afar. I must say, you've become quite interesting to me. What do you say you and I have a duel right now?" Izuru kicked the window in, knocking the locks loose without breaking the glass. He jumped into Naota's bed room without any invitation. "After all, it doesn't look like you are busy doing anything." He activated his Duel Disk, and he seemed to be smiling even harder, though that couldn't have been possible. His smile was sewed on with thread.

"I was _reflecting on my past," _Naota said as she threw a pillow at Izuru. He simply dodged and laughed.

"Oh, so sorry to interrupt your flashback, but I find that the past is often boring. Why let the events long forgotten become your defining traits when you can define yourself here and now?" Izuru cackled like a demon. "So, shall we duel or not?"

**Izuru: 4000**

Naota reached for a can of mace and pointed it at Izuru's face. "You better tell me why you're here or else I'll spray this whole can at you!"

Naota's PDA started to jingle. "Hey, Naota, can you hear me? Is everything okay?" Asked Hikaru. "I'm at Cadence's right now, if something's wrong let me know and I'll be there just as fast as I can. Do you need me to call security for you?"

"No, I'll be fine without security. Just, can you two come quickly please?" Naota asked.

"Okay Naota, we're on our way. Whatever's happening, stay calm, and don't panic. We'll be there just as soon as we can," said Hikaru as she hung up.

Izuru laughed smugly. "You say you're scared, I can even hear your heart pounding, but you haven't tried to flee. You haven't even sprayed me yet. I think you're braver than you give yourself credit for." Izuru drew five cards.

"I swear I will!" Naota's hands shook as she held the can of mace. In truth she was too scared to push the button. What if she got in trouble for it? She couldn't run either. Her legs were somehow as heavy as stone while as malleable as jelly. She wanted to fall over. "Just leave me alone!"

"Come on, isn't a duel more fun than some sort of boring old flashback? What were you thinking about anyway? Was it Yuu Akimoto?" Izuru guessed. Naota dropped the canister. "Oh, I guess I'm right aren't I? You were thinking about your childhood friend. And now you want to know how I know about him don't you?"

Naota quivered as she sat on her bed. "Look, please, just tell me what you want. I can give you anything except my cards. Why don't you just get this over with?" Naota tried to steady her breathing, but it was hard. She took in short gasps of air and breathed them out in quick puffs. Her lungs started to burn.

"I want to duel you. I'm afraid life is simply too boring if wasted on nonchalant everyday things. And I can sense that there's something special about you. It's why I helped you out during your entrance exam."

"That _was _you wasn't it," said Naota. "Cadence figured it might have been."

"Yes," said Izuru. "You looked like you were having trouble focusing. So I plunged the auditorium into darkness to help you concentrate. Once you could no longer see your spectators, they were as good as gone, weren't they?'

"So what about the haunted forest? What was that for?"

"For fun? Why else would I do anything," Izuru cackled. "Now will you duel me or not. We haven't got all day. Classes start in half an hour. Of course I would be fine skipping, but you're such a goody two shoes I don't want you to run off because the bell rang."

"Fine, I'll duel you. But only if you agree to tell me how you knew I was friends with Yuu." Naota activated his Duel Disk and drew six cards.

"Only if you win."

"I'll begin this duel with Graceful Charity!" Naota said as she drew three cards and discarded two. "Then I'll use Monster Reborn to bring back the S Link Silver Fur I just discarded." (2500/2100) "Since you seem to know so much about me I don't think I need to explain its effect do I?" Naota smirked as the silver cub howled at Izuru. "Next I'll equip him with Lone Wolf and Demotion!"

"Ah yes, Demotion will lower his level by two," said Izuru. "So now all your S Links will gain a power boost from him. And Lone Wolf, if I've heard correctly, will stop him from being destroyed by his own effect?"

"Close. As long as he's the only monster I control he can't be destroyed by any card effects! Next I'll normal summon Princex Hibiscus!" (800/500) A beautiful flower princex materialized on Naota's field. They wore an orange dress and a crown of orange hibiscus flowers. The two S Links monsters began glowing orange as their attack points rose. (2900/2100) (2050/500) "I end my turn," said Naota.

Izuru laughed as he drew his card. "Oh whatever shall I do? It seems like I will have to set a monster face down in defense mode." Izuru sang in a smooth silky voice that was nothing like the one he'd been using till now. "And I'll set two other cards and end my turn."

'_He played a face down monster? Does it have a high defense? Or does its effect need it to flip face up. Knowing him it's probably something kind of creepy or mischievous. Maybe,' _Naota smiled as she drew a card, bringing her hand total to three. "You've got a Ghostrick deck."

"Bzzt. Wrong." Izuru laughed. "Poor Naota. She thinks she has me all figured out because of the way I look. That really hurts my feelings you know. Just because somebody looks creepy doesn't mean they are creepy! That's prejudicial!" Izuru hung his head low. "What if I just want to use fairies? Maybe my face down is Skelengel? Or Marshmallon?"

"I- I'm sorry," said Naota as she looked at her new card. "I normal summon S Link Plumericat!" (1000/1000) She bent down as her kitty appeared on the field and scratched her ear as she mewed happily. (2250/1000) Silver Fur let out a howl to welcome his new comrade. (3000/2100)

"Oh wow, that's quite an army you've got there. Your Wolf is now as strong as a Blue Eyes White Dragon. Well, that thing was top notch once but it's old news now. I've got something in my deck that would make even the Blue Eyes _Ultimate _Dragon tremble in fear."

Sweat dripped down Naota's forehead as her chest tightened. "I attack your face down with Plumericat," Naota called out. She struck the air as her cat charged forward with claws unsheathed. Plumericat let out a hiss as it flipped through the air, spinning like a saw blade. It hit a patch of rippling air and fell backward, landing on all four paws.

"Negate Attack," said Izuru plainly, his voice as normal as any other teenager's.

"I end my turn," Naota said as her shoulders tightened. She didn't like this duel. Izuru kept throwing her off. Her body ached just standing there. Her legs wanted to give out. Her hands trembled. She could barely breathe.

Izuru's shadow danced behind him. No. Naota rubbed her eyes. She had to be imagining things. "Hurry up and start your turn!" She barked.

"Hey, why are you being so mean? I just wanted to play with you," said Izuru as he drew a new card. "It's just a duel, I'm not going to hurt you."

Naota bit her lip. "I'm sorry, I'm just really creeped out right now. I mean, you did break into my room," she said. "And you're kind of acting like a stalker."

"I flip Summon my face down Ghostrick Witch!" (1200/200) Izuru's monster appeared in a sparkle of magical lights. She wore a black dress with a red ribbon for a sash. Her cape was black on the outside and pink on the inside. Long blonde hair spilled down her back. She wore a pointed witch's hat with a bow tied on. She had the makings of a classic with a cute spin on her entire outfit.

"Hey, you told me you didn't use a Ghostrick deck!" Said Naota.

"I lied."

"Once per turn I can set one of your monsters face down, so your puppy gets flipped into face down defense!" Izuru said. Ghostrick Witch waved her broom in the air and chanted an inaudible spell. Red light engulfed her and S Link Silver Fur as the wolf turned into a face down card. "So your equip cards are destroyed and your S Links lose their power boost."

Plumericat (1400/1000) and the Princex (1300/500) both frowned to see that their friend had vanished.

"Next I summon Ghostrick Mummy!" (1500/0) An oversized mummy appeared on Izuru's field as the boy's breathing intensified. "Now his effect allows me to summon an extra Ghostrick once per turn, so I call forth Ghostrick Skeleton!" (1200/1100) A miniature skeleton in a black cloak cackled as he sprang to life wielding a tiny scythe. "Now, my Mummy will attack your Plumericat!"

Ghostrick Mummy held out his hands as his cloth unravelled and snaked through the air, wrapping itself around Plumericat to choke it to death.

**Naota: 3900**

Princex Hibiscus looked sad without their friend. (800/500) And a little scared of the two remaining Ghostricks. Izuru laughed. "Now, go," he paused. "Ghostrick Witch, the Princex is all alone now. Destroy them!" Ghostrick Witch waved her broom and engulfed the princex with a mysterious red light that shattered the card to pieces.

**Naota: 3500**

"I'll use their effect to Special Summon Shizen Link Gardenia from my deck." (1200/1000) The humanoid plant appeared in her multicolored dress. She stared at the skeleton as if daring him to attack.

"Oh, how perfect. Just what I expected. You fully expect me to leave your monster alone so you can start reviving your lost comrades, right?" Izuru cackled and twirled. Then he spoke in a low guttural voice, "Ghostrick Skeleton, ram that sucker."

Ghostrick Skeleton flew through the air and sliced through Gardenia, but not before Gardenia could strike back with a punch of her own. Both monsters shattered into tiny pixels, causing Izuru to cackle. "I activate my face down Continuous Trap Card, GHOST TRICK GO ROUND!"

Naota gulped. She knew what would happen next and she didn't like it at all.

"I set my Ghostrick Witch face down!" Izuru said. His Witch waved bye-bye as she turned back into a face down card. "And your Shizen Link Silver Fur gets flipped face up." (2500/2100) The wolf let out a lonely howl as he materialized on the field. "I'll set a card and end my turn."

"I draw," said Naota. And Izuru cackled.

"It's your standby phase, and your wolf is all alone, so he gets destroyed by his own effect since you don't have any other S Links to keep him company." Izuru laughed as Naota's wolf shattered into tiny pieces.

"Don't get too comfortable, Izuru. I've still got tons of secrets in my deck," said Naota.

"I've got tons of secrets in my deck," said Izuru in a high pitched voice. "Oh come on, that's what I said earlier. You can't just copy your opponent's banter. Be original."

Naota frowned. "I'll summon S Link Monochrome Skunk!" (1100/400) Naota summoned forth a black skunk with white stripes. She wore a white sailor uniform with a black collar and a black bow. A black beret adorned her head. The only splash of color in the outfit was the pink flower on her hat. "I'll set one card and have Monochrome Skunk attack your face down Witch!"

Izuru imitated an overly annoying buzzer. "Wrong. When you enter the battle phase I can activate my Ghostrick-Go-Round! I'll switch my face down Ghostrick Witch into face up attack mode!" (1200/200) Izuru clapped his hands together as his adorable spellcaster returned to the field, twirling about as she waved her broomstick. "Now your skunk is forced face down."

Naota smirked. If she's targeted by a card effect that you control, then she inflicts 500 Points of effect damage to you, even if she no longer remains face up on the field!" Naota's skunk curled into a ball and transformed into a face down card. A visible waft of green odor floated through the air before striking Izuru.

"I end my turn."

**Izuru: 3500**

"Bravo, Naota, you've done well," said Izuru as he drew a card. "But I'm afraid your time is running short. You see, I activate the card Ghostrick Mansion!" The room began changing, phasing out of reality as new scenery appeared. The walls were gray and dusty, with tattered curtains hanging by the window. Tables covered in white cloth appeared, and web covered couches materialized around the room. "Now, we can't attack each other's face down monsters, but we can attack directly if we have no other targets. However,"

"All damage inflicted by cards other than a Ghostrick will be halved," Naota gulped. "I suppose you're going to combo this card with a Spirit Barrier?"

"Oh, I _was _going to surprise you next turn when you tried to attack, but that won't work now, will it?" Izuru let out an exaggerated sigh. "And here I was really hoping to catch you off guard. I activate Spirit Barrier, so I take no battle damage while I control a monster!" Izuru fiddled with the other card in his hand. "I summon Ghostrick Specter!" (600/0) A bedsheet ghost appeared on the field, sticking its tongue out at Naota.

Naota giggled in response. "You know I heard these things were creepy but some of them are actually kind of adorable," she said.

"Let's see if you still think that way when they're attacking you directly!" Izuru cackled. "Go, all-out attack. Mummy, you're up first!" Izuru thrust his hand out as his mummy charged forward, raising its arm at Naota.

"Nice try, but I still have my face down trap card," she smirked, making a mental note to thank Jamison for the card later. Raging Spirit allows me to tribute a monster I control to Special Summon a beast from my graveyard." S Link Silver Fur appeared on the battle field and let out a howl once more. "Now you can't attack directly and you can't force my monster face down with Ghostrick-Go-Round!"

Izuru paused. "Very well, I'll use my Ghostricks effects to flip them all face down. Then I'll end my turn. And your wolf will vanish once more, like an ethereal mirage, never to linger for very long."

Naota drew and watched as her Silver Fur shattered once more. The pixels flew toward Izuru like shattered glass and struck him with minimal force.

**Izuru: 3250**

"Raging Spirit equips itself to the revived monster, and if that monster is destroyed by a card effect then the opponent takes 500 damage!" Naota said with a smile on her face. "So, yeah, it may have vanished but it did some damage."

"OH NO!" Cried Izuru. "250 POINTS OF EFFECT DAMAGE! WHAT EVER AM I TO DO?" Izuru cackled. "Seriously, don't go getting your hopes up just because of a minor wound like that. After all my monsters are waiting to tear into your flesh and rend your skin from your bones. I already have enough to deal 3300 Points of damage you know. And you can't even touch me right now. You'd have to get through my Spirit Barrier and Ghostrick-Go-Round." Izuru cackled. "I'm afraid this duel isn't as fun as I thought it was going to be. Maybe I misplaced my hopes."

Naota smiled. "Well I'm sorry to keep you waiting. But I activate the Field Spell Heartlink Forest!" The dilapidated mansion faded away as massive trees sprang to life. Grass spread out across the floor as a river cut through the room. Now you can't halve any damage I inflict."

"You're still going to be struggling to inflict any damage at all," said Izuru.

"I summon S Link Feather Hawk!" (1300/1400) A brown and white hawk the size of a small dog flew down onto the field and let out an adorable screech. "Thanks to Heartlink Forest, whenever I normal summon an S Link monster I can special summon an S Link from my graveyard with equal or lower attack! And you can revive any monster in your grave with equal or lower attack."

"Then I'll welcome back my Ghostrick Skeleton!" (1200/1100) Izuru watched the skeleton dance onto the field, swinging his scythe about in wide arcs.

"Now, I'll bring back my Monochrome Skunk!" (1100/400)- (1750/400) "And that brings a power boost to my Hawk as well." (1850/1400) Naota smirked. "Now by forfeiting his attack, S Link Hawk can destroy one spell or trap on the field. So I'm getting rid of your Spirit Barrier!" Naota smiled as her monster flapped its wings and blasted Spirit Barrier to pieces. "This allows my Skunk to attack your Skeleton!"

"I guess I'll take the damage. I activate Ghostrick-Go-Round to force my Mummy face up!" (1500/0) "And force your Skunk face down!" Monochrome Skunk sprayed a green mist into the air before curling into a face down card. Izuru grunted as the attack hit him.

"Oh wow, looks like I didn't hurt your monster after all, but I did manage to damage your life points," Naota said with a smile. "And it looks like it's your move, Izuru." She gestured to Izuru with a wink.

**Izuru: 2750**

Izuru drew and sighed. "Oh well, looks like things are going to get pretty boring from here on out. I just drew The Dark Door. So from your next turn we can each declare only a single attack per turn, and you still have my Ghostrick-Go-Round to deal with." Izuru revealed his spell card before setting it. "Of course, I plan to use all my attacks this turn. So I'll set my Skeleton face down with its own effect!" Izuru said as his monster hid under a card. "And I'll turn everything else face up." Izuru cackled as all his hidden monsters revealed themselves, save for the Skeleton.

"Now I enter the battlephase," said Izuru. "And Ghostrick-Go-Round will flip my Skeleton (1200/1100) face up and your Feather Hawk goes into defense." Feather Hawk transformed into a face down card, causing Monochrome Skunk to lose her bonus attack points. (1100/400) "Now go, use your effect, Skeleton!"

Ghostrick Skeleton flew toward Naota and slashed at her deck with his scythe. "Whenever he is flipped face up, he banishes cards face down from your deck. Up to one for each Ghostrick I control, so that's four!"

Naota sighed as four cards vanished from her deck. She couldn't even see what they were! What if they were vital components to her strategy? She started to panic.

"Now, my Mummy will smash through your Hawk!" Izuru said as Ghostrick Mummy charged forward and slammed his fists down on Naota's face down. "Ghostrick Witch will smash through your Monochrome Skunk!"

Ghostrick Witch flew forward on her broom and hopped off at the last second, swinging her broom down from the air like a sword. She cut straight through the skunk, clearing a direct path to Naota's Life Points. Izuru cackled. "Now, a direct attack from my monsters!" Ghostrick Specter flew forth and rammed Naota in the chest, knocking her over. Ghostrick Skeleton hovered in the air and brought her scythe down like an executioner, causing Naota to cry out.

**Naota: 1600**

"I'll activate all my monster's effects to set themselves, save for Skeleton of course, then I activate my face down Dark Corridor and end my turn," said Izuru. Ghostrick Skeleton waved goodbye to his friends as they all hid face down.

"So much for my lead," Naota sighed as she drew her card. She smiled. "Okay, here we go. I summon S Link Mockingbird!" (1200/400) Naota held her hand out as a small black and white mockingbird landed on her outstretched finger. "Now Heartlink Forest allows me to revive my Gardenia in defense mode!" (1200/1000) Naota welcomed the flower back into the game. "And her effect allows me to revive Plumericat!" (1000/1000)

"Why hello again Oreo," said Izuru to the black and white cat. "Too bad even with their attack boosts they still can't touch me." (1600/1000) (1800/1000) (1800/400) "Unless you're planning a Synchro Summon. Plumiricat is a tuner right? Of course they're all level three so," Izuru hummed. "How would an Xyz work in your deck anyway?"

"I use Mockingbird's effect. By banishing one S Link in my grave, he gains that monster's effect until the end of the turn, and his level becomes that monster's level. So I banish my level 4 Feather Hawk and use his effect to take down your Ghostrick-Go-Round!" Mockingbird kicked up a surprisingly powerful storm that easily destroyed Ghostrick-Go-Round.

"Oh wow, I wasn't expecting you to get rid of my card so soon after I destroyed Feather Hawk. But now he's going to be even harder to bring back. And I still have my other card protecting me, The Dark Door. I still have quite a few shields left to protect me."

"I'm tuning Plumericat and Mockingbird!" Said Naota with a smile. Plumericat transformed into three golden rings which Mockingbird flew through with a happy coo. "The seeds of passion bloom forth into hope and aspirations. The untamed soul shouts with glee. My heart overflows with the beauty of nature's garden. Synchro Summon- Shizen Link Wildflower!"

Flowers blossomed at Naota's feet as vines shot up and tangled around each other forming a green skinned woman. In a flash of sparkles a white dress materialized on her body as colors swirled along her dress into the patterns of flowers. Long thick black hair grew from her head as flowers of all colors sprouted from the tangles within. (2750/2000)- (3350/2000)

"Go, attack his Ghostrick Skeleton!" Naota cried out. Vines sprouted from the ground and wrapped themselves around the skeleton's body, twisting and turning as they wove around his bones. They pulled him straight into the ground.

**Izuru: 600**

"Now go, attack his face down Ghostrick Witch!" Naota commanded. Vines surged up from the ground and snaked through the air before plunging through the face down card. Ghostrick Witch appeared for a split second before shattering into pieces. "You see, she can attack one monster for every Shizen Link I control. However if she uses this effect then there are two drawbacks. No other Shizen Link may attack this turn and only the first attack inflicts damage. Oh well. Not like that was going to happen either way." Naota gestured to Izuru. "Your move."

Izuru slumped his shoulders in disappointment as he set his newly drawn card. "Oh well, looks like I didn't get much." He said in a menacing guttural voice. "Your move."

Naota gulped as she drew. She couldn't figure out Izuru's last move at all. A bluff? A trap? She looked at her card. If she used it now she could build a great defense. After all Izuru had mentioned a card that could make the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon tremble. "I activate Premature Burial to revive Silver Fur!"

**Naota: 800**

Though she'd paid half her remaining Life Points, Naota smiled as her wolf pup returned to the field. (2500/2100)- (3875/2100) Wildflower welcomed the wolf back as well. (4000/2000)

Izuru whistled. "Wow, I can see why these things were never released to the general public. They're really strong when they work together. But no matter. I'm prepared for anything you throw my way. BRING IT ON NAOTA. I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT I'VE GOT AND TEAR YOU AND YOUR HOPES AND DREAMS INTO PIECES!"

Naota trembled. She bit her lower lip as she struggled to breathe. She fell to her knees crying. "What is with you? You act like you're just trying to have fun and then you act like some huge jerk." She wiped away a few tears.

Izuru took a deep breath in surprise. "Look, it's just banter. All duelists do it. They call each other names to get each other riled up and mess with each other's games. I don 't really mean it."

Naota whispered her next command. "Attack both his face downs monsters, Wildflower."

"You can attack up to three times with your monster, and you'll need them all. I block the first attack with Command Silencer!" Izuru summoned a totem pole to blast the vines away. "And I can draw a new card." He said as he replenished his hand. The onslaught of vines kept coming as they smashed through both his face down monsters. "When you destroy a Ghostrick I control, I can Special Summon a Ghostrick Specter from my hand in face down defense mode." He said as a new face down appeared. "And I can draw a new card."

"Your move," whispered Naota.

Izuru drew. "First I flip Specter face up." (600/0) His bed sheet ghost reappeared and blew a raspberry at Naota. "Now let's leave this duel all up to a stroke of luck. I activate Swords of Concealing Light to force all your monsters into face down defense position and keep them that way."

Naota barely responded as black swords fell all around her and forced her monsters to transform into cards.

"And we'll finally leave this forest to go somewhere a bit more my style. I activate Ghostrick Museum!" The forest faded as the gray walls of Izuru's museum took their place. His shadow seemed to dance in the darkness. Noata was sure of it this time. But she couldn't say anything. "Now we can't attack face down monsters, but if our opponent only controls face down monsters, we may attack directly. Any monster that inflicts damage is flipped face down during the end of the damage step.

"Ghostrick Specter, attack her directly!" Izuru said. His monster flew forth and tapped Naota on the head. Then it set itself face down.

**Naota: 200**

Naota drew her next card, Floral Shield. She almost laughed.

Naota's front door burst open as Cadence and Hikaru stormed through. A furious and malicious frown overtook Cadence's face. "IZURU!" She howled. "You, scum bag, what the heck are you doing here."

"Oh, hello Cadence, long time no see. What's up with," he quickly twisted out of the way as Cadence tossed a pillow at his face. "Hey, no need to be so upset I was just," his body stiffened as cadence tackled him. With expert reflexes he flipped backward, but Cadence quickly bent over to pick up the pillow and she swung with all her might. "Hey, calm down. You're being a tad bit overdramatic. No need to get so worked up, I was just leaving." He jumped onto the windowsill to escape Cadence's pursuit, but she kept swinging at him.

Hikaru turned to Naota, her mouth twisted in a grimace though her eyes lit up with silent laughter. "He didn't hurt you did he?"

Naota shook her head. "No, I'm fine. He just wanted to duel. We were pretty close too. I was started to get a bit worried for a second." She collapsed on the bed. "Thanks for coming you two." She threw her arms around Hikaru, hugging her tightly. Her body shook as she held Hikaru close.

Cadence shut the windows and turned to Naota. "Hey, don't let him get to you. It's an important day, you can't let him ruin it for you."

Naota nodded. "Right. We're supposed to get our cards today, aren't we?"

"Bingo!"

**~xXx~**

Izuru cackled as he clung to the shadows, swiftly escaping the scene of the crime while avoiding detection. _'That was fun.' _He thought to himself. _'I do hope I'll be able to finish our duel someday soon, Naota. I'd love to see how your Lunarians fare against my cards.'_

Izuru's shadow danced around him and he cackled.

He didn't seem to notice a young girl with long blonde hair staring at him. She wore white pants, a black shirt, and the white dorm blazer. "So you're Izuru," she whispered. She watched him run off but didn't bother saying anything. "Looks like we've got a lot of work to do this year, right AA?" She turned to the spirit standing at her side, a young boy with long silver hair, fox ears, and no shirt. He wore a white scarf and two cape like pieces of cloth that wrapped around his body to form an X. He had pants and a wolf tail and bandages around his stomach and arms.

AA smiled back at her. _'Yes, little one. Our work is going to be interesting. Though to be honest I'm more interested in Naota. There must be a reason Yuu is so interested in them.'_

_'Yeah, Naota's got my interest as well. But don't worry. We'll duel soon enough.'_

**~xXx~**

"So, after breakfast we're supposed to go straight to the Duel Arena, right?" Hikaru asked her friends. They walked up to the breakfast buffet. It was all you can eat with absolutely no cost to the students. Hikaru started with a bed of rice in the disposable container, then topped it with scrambled eggs and maple bacon. She grabbed a few sausages for added measure and smiled as she started chewing away.

"Yeah, they give you your cards and you duel an opponent. I'm a little nervous. I'm using a Ritual deck and those can be hard to use if you aren't very careful. But I think I've got enough flexibility to be safe." She grabbed a few croissants and a serving of fresh fruit. She topped it off with a few Danishes and made some tea.

Naota made a plate of toast and scraped on some margarine and various jellies. "I have a Fusion Deck. My Fusion monsters are semi flexible so hopefully I get what I need. It's one of those ones where you have one specific monster and one less specific monster. Hopefully the rest of my deck can hold up until I draw the cards I need."

The three friends grabbed some drinks and walked toward an empty table. Students talked and chattered with excitement, providing some background noise without being too distracting. Naota tripped on a bag and nearly fell, but she caught herself in time. She managed to steady her plate before dropping anything. "Sorry," she turned to apologize to the owner of the bag.

"I don't understand you at all," replied Jamison A. Auttenberg. "What are you apologizing for?" he asked as he moved his bag. A group of students sitting with Jamison all watched with mild interest.

"Sorry, I just felt bad for tripping on your stuff."

"You felt bad, for _tripping_?" Jamison raised an eyebrow. "Well, whatever. Enjoy your breakfast. You'll need all the strength you can get for today's duel. Who knows what's in store. You could get somebody with an entirely original deck or something completely broken. Maybe if you're lucky you'll get something that's just repackaged old stuff like with me."

"I'm sure your cards are great."

"Hey Jamison, don't be so hard on yourself," said a boy with white hair and light skin. He wore a gray blazer. "I bet your deck is really awesome, even if it is a lot like some of the old cards."

Naota nodded with a smile. "Yeah, sometimes some of the best cards are upgraded versions of older cards. Like, Marshmallon is a way better version of Spirit Reaper. Tragoedia is basically Muka Muka but better. Cards don't need to be completely original to be cool."

"Marshmallon is purely a wall," said Jamison. "Spirit Reaper had a hand destruction effect. They were different things."

'_You know what I mean,' _Naota bit back his response.

The white haired boy shook his head. "Don't be so pessimistic Jamison. Naota's right. Cards ideas get redone all the time, it's no big deal. I'm sure they're fine, otherwise you wouldn't have been admitted."

"Shut up, Hisashi." Jamison rubbed his forehead. "Look, I don't need your self-help advice. I'm taking off." He grabbed his breakfast burrito and took off. Hisashi quickly grabbed his grilled cheese sandwich and milk and took off after Jamison.

The rest of the students at the table laughed. "Hey, sorry about that," said one student. "Jamison can be a dick at times but he's actually really nice deep down."

"Yeah, he's actually pretty sweet."

Naota stumbled over the words in her head. "I, um, yeah. He's actually pretty cool, he got me a present the other day." One of Jamison's friends pulled out a chair for Naota. She sat down and watched Hikaru and Cadence take the other two empty chairs.

Naota grabbed a piece of toast and munched on it quietly. One of the guys on the table stared at her in surprise. "Is that all you're eating? Nervous stomach or something?"

Naota nodded absentmindedly. "I'm worried I'm going to make a fool out of myself today. What if my cards aren't any good? What if my opponent just has a better deck then me?" She put her head on the table. "What if I brick and don't get any good cards?"

"You'll be fine. Nobody is expecting you to win every match you take part in," said one of the other guys. "If you lose, just learn from what went wrong and do better next time."

"I'm getting seconds," Hikaru said as she stood up.

**~xXx~**

Once breakfast finished the trio headed for the Duel Arena. "Don't be so nervous," Hikaru said. "Everything is going to be fine."

The noise level spiked as they entered the Duel Arena. Students excitedly discussed their strategies and cards.

"_My Dead Cacti deck is going to kick ass." _

"_My Nasturtiam Dragon better be really pretty."_

"_I hope my Marie Antoinette deck is popular."_

"_My Blade Waltzes are gonna be amazing."_

Naota could barely breathe in the crowd. In and out, short shallow breaths fought to give her enough oxygen. Hikaru suddenly thrust her arms around her cousin. "Hey, calm down. You'll be fine. If you want I'll even ask to watch your duel, I'm sure they won't mind."

"I'll be fine," Naota said.

Cadence nodded. "Let's all do our best, everyone. I'm sure we can do this." Cadence smirked. "I just hope I get enough of a crowd. If my cards are popular enough then hopefully other students start requesting me as an artist. I could always use the extra credit and the money."

"I hope my Maho Shojous are adorable," said Hikaru. She looked around anxiously to see if she could find a teacher. "I wonder how long this is going to take." She spotted Nakao walking toward a microphone. Approximately 80 percent of the male population and 30 percent of the female population immediately stopped to stare in awe of her blue and pink dress that hung off her shoulders and fell to her knees. It seemed to shimmer as she walked.

"Attention everybody," her voice carried out through the arena, making everyone go quiet. "We'll be handing out your decks shortly. Once you receive your deck you'll also be instructed to go to a private Duel Room. You'll meet your opponent there and face them in a match. Your Duel will be recorded for your teachers to watch later.

"If you win your duel, you are free to go. You have the rest of the day off to relax. If you lose, however, you will face a second opponent. Once you win a duel you are free to leave. However, if you lose three duels today, you will have to schedule a meeting with a counselor to examine your deck.

"Should you lose all three duels, do not despair. This will not reflect badly upon you. Maybe your opponents were too strong. Maybe your deck isn't competitive enough but it's still fun. This will not reflect badly on your grade."

Nakao smiled. "Good luck everybody."

Naota watched as Morrigana, Nakao, Hawthorne, and Ho'omalu gather near the center of the room. "Okay everybody line up," Ho'omalu called out in his commanding yet friendly voice. "Get into four lines and we'll give you your decks."

Students lined up and quickly got their new cards. Every time a student stepped up, they seemed to have that student's deck ready to hand off. Naota felt her stomach churn. "I really liked your cards," Nakao told one student. "Your Walpurgisnacht deck is probably going to do very well!"

Naota quickly moved up to greet Ho'omalu. "Ah, hello, Naota. Nice to see you again. Hope you and Hamlet had fun catching up," he quickly grabbed a deck box from off the shelf. "Here you go."

Naota examined it carefully. It was a simply plastic box, red with the words _Naota Yamaguchi: Lunarians _printed on the front. "Yeah, it was really fun, except for when we went spirit hunting."

"Yeah, he told me you nailed him good," Ho'omalu laughed. "Good luck with your duel. You're meeting your opponent in room 4-13." He said. He made a fist for Naota to bump. The young girl slowly extended her first outward, blushing at the display.

"Thank you." She said as she ran off.

Cadence smiled as she stepped toward Naota. "Good luck. I'm sure you'll do fine. I'm in Room 4-09. I'll try to win my match as soon as possible so that I can meet up with you after." They both walked to an elevator as Hikaru rushed to join them.

"I'm in Room 5-03." She said. "I'll meet you both on the fourth floor."

The elevator doors dinged open and they all stepped inside to confront their destiny. The three friends waited in silence as the elevator rose.

"This is kind of dramatic, I feel like we need music," said Cadence.

**~xXx~**

**Original Cards section**

**Shizen Link Monochrome Skunk**

Earth/Beast

(3) 1100/400

This card gains Attack Points equal to half the Original Attack of the strongest level 5 or Lower Shizen Link monster you control other than this card. If this card is targeted by your opponent's card effect, inflict 500 points of effect damage to your opponent. This effect resolves even if the card is removed from the field.

_A cute black and white skunk_

**Shizen Link Wildflower**

Earth/Plant/Synchro

(7) 2750/2000

1 Shizen Link Tuner + 1 or More Shizen Link Non Tuners

This card gains Attack Points equal to half the Original Attack of the strongest level 7 or Lower Shizen Link monster you control other than this card. This card may attack as many monsters as the number of Shizen Links you control. If this card attacks more than once by its own effect, negate all damage after the first attack. In addition, other Shizen Link monsters you control may not attack this turn.

_A green skinned woman with flowers in her long black hair._

**Shizen Link Mockingbird**

Wind/Winged Beast

(3) 1200/400

This card gains Attack Points equal to half the Original Attack of the strongest level 5 or Lower Shizen Link monster you control other than this card. Once per turn you may banish a Shizen Link in your graveyard. This card gains that card's effect and becomes the same level as that card until the end phase.

_A small peaceful looking mockingbird._

**Shizen Link Feather Hawk**

Wind/Winged Beast

(4) 1300/1400

This card gains Attack Points equal to half the Original Attack of the strongest level 5 or Lower Shizen Link monster you control other than this card. Once per turn you may destroy one spell or trap card on the field. If you do, this card may not declare an attack this turn.

_A determined yet friendly looking hawk._

**Heartlink Forest**

Field

When you Normal Summon a Shizen Link monster you may Special Summon 1 Shizen Link monster from your graveyard with equal or less attack. Your opponent may also summon a monster from their graveyard with equal or less attack.

_Plumericat, Courage Terrier, Gardenia, Wildflower, and Silver Fur prance about in a forest garden._

Lone Wolf

Equip

Equip only to a beast type monster you control. As long as it is the only monster you control it cannot be destroyed by card effects.

_A wolf howls at the moon._

**_Author's Notes #2: The blonde girl and AA belong to Twilidramon._**

**Also looks like plans are being changed.**

**Hopefully the next chapter does not take several months.**

**IF things go as planned you will get to see the Lunarians, Maho Shoujos, and the Midnight Servants and Midnight Kings in the next chapter! Wish me luck!**


	6. Triple Duel

**Author's Notes: Okay it's been a while since I wrote a duel so hopefully this works well. Wait, did I say that before.**

**Sometimes I feel like I like Loaño too much and dehumanize her to make her seem more awesome. She's really great when Twilidramon (her owner) writes her.**

**Also I double checked and apparently **_**some **_**of the line breaks still appear on the main site but they're incredibly faint. As far as I can tell they're completely gone on mobile.**

**And I think chapter lengths may be dropping since I have less time to write.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh there'd be more gay. I mean Yugi and Joey in the original. Judai and Johan in GX. Yusei and Bruno in 5D's. (Though he'd probably be bisexual and polyamorous and dating Aki too.) Someone in Zexal (never saw that one, though I wanted to.) And Arc V would have Yuya with the cooking dude, Yuzu with Masumi, and Reira/Layra with Tatsuya. Also Shun and Yuto would have been boyfriends or ex-boyfriends who still cared about each other or something.**

**Oh oh and Yuya and Reira would be gender fluid. Yeah that would be cool. (I know this may or may not throw some of the previous gay into question depending on your view, but I like it.)**

**Yuzu and Masumi would be binary trans women.**

**And there's a bit I'd change here and there.**

…

**I LOVE Arc V.**

**(I hope I can catch up soon. I'm only in the late 20's.)**

**More Author's Notes present at the end of the chapter!**

**~xXx~**

**Chapter Five: Triple Duel**

Naota, Cadence, and Hikaru waited for the elevators to rise. It dinged open once for Cadence and Naota. Naota stepped forward first, her heavy breathing drowned out by the marching of students to their own individual destinations. Cadence quickly followed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Once we've all won we should do something calming to celebrate. I can treat you to the café on the island. I hear they serve great tea."

"Thanks," Naota gulped. She turned to Hikaru in time to watch the doors close. Hikaru waved as she vanished behind the elevator. "Good luck, Cadence."

"Good luck to you too."

They looked around for their rooms. Countless students shuffled across the tiled floors, stomping and squeaking their way around. Doors opened and shut, some louder than others. One particularly loud _wham_startled Naota into jumping.

She looked around at the various doors. 4-08, 4-09, 4-10, a wall, 4-07, 4-06. She sighed in frustration. Why couldn't she find it? _'It's because you're stupid,'_said the voice in her head. _'You're going to piss your opponent off if you don't hurry up. He probably wants to duel you and get this over with._

'_Or she or they or whatever.'_

Naota stopped and looked for a teacher or some sort of proctor, but there weren't any. Apparently there were too many exams to watch all at once. _'What did that email say?'_Naota wondered. _'All duels would be recorded and a computer program would record all the moves made. The teachers wouldn't even watch the duels. They'd only be reading transcripts. It was faster that way.'_She gulped. _'This is a huge school. There's a lot of students. We can't all stand out.'_

Students kept vanishing behind doors. Some came up on elevators or on the stairs, but not as quickly as they found their rooms. Little by little the floor thinned out. "Excuse me," Naota whispered at the floor. Nobody heard. She kept dashing about, 4-17, and 4-18 practically jumped out at her, but the numbers seemed to skip her door.

She imagined her opponent getting impatient, somebody like Jamison tapping his foot, checking the clock, yawning in boredom before storming off in anger. She glimpsed around and saw that she had the privacy she needed. She raised her hand to her mouth just as someone called out to her.

"Hey, Naota, you lost?" Was that Jamison she heard?

Naota nodded as she turned around. The familiar red haired duelist smirked at him. He wore a black shirt and blue jeans along with a red blazer that didn't signify any of the dorms. "Yeah, I'm looking for,"

"Let me guess, 4-13?" Jamison said. Naota nodded again. "I can't find it either. Let's look together. Hell, I'd say we could just duel each other right here and get it over with, but the teachers probably wouldn't like that." He sighed. "Shit, why is it so hard to make the doors go in order." He glanced down an empty hallway, "let's try this way."

**~xXx~**

Hikaru stepped out of the elevator and onto the fifth floor. She glanced around and quickly found Room 5-03. She put her hand on the doorknob and quickly turned it, opening it to reveal a medium sized arena the same size as her dorm room. A blonde girl smiled back at her.

"Well, this is a nice coincidence," said the other girl. She had short-chopped blonde hair and piercing silver eyes. She wore a white shirt and blue jeans with her White Blazer hanging behind her like a cape. Goggles rested upon her head. "My name is Loaño Ishida. But you can call me Lo." She smiled brightly as she held out her hand.

Hikaru shook it with a smile. "I'm Hikaru Reinhardt. And what do you mean by coincidence?"

"I designed your Maho Shojou cards," Loaño explained. "Well, I did the art for them at least. I've actually been doing lots of art for this school. They pay pretty well. And with all the extra credit I've accumulated, I'm pretty sure I can actually graduate without attending any of my classes."

"Oh really? That's cool. But, like, did the school give you my picture or something? How'd you know who I was?" Hikaru asked. "Not to sound too suspicious or anything."

Loaño paced around the room. "It's simple really. I've been paying attention to you and your cousin Naota for a while now. Not in any sort of creepy stalker way or anything, I promise," she added quickly. "It's just, well. My parents were Kuro and Molly Ishida."

"Wait a minute. Aren't they the ones who made Naota's S-Links?" Hikaru asked.

"Yes, they are," Loaño answered with a smile. "I'm glad to see they went to somebody with a good heart. To be honest I was kind of hoping I could duel him someday soon."

"Well if we exchange numbers then I can introduce you to her someday."

"Really? Thanks." Loaño brushed her hair aside and stared at the ground, trying to hide the teardrop falling off her cheek. "But, there isn't enough time to get sentimental. Only one of us can win so we should make this quick so that way we can both get out of here, right?" She shuffled her cards and inserted them into her Duel Disk. She drew five cards and smiled. "And don't worry too much about me having an advantage. I don't know your card effects or stats or anything, just their names, attributes, and that they're spell casters. I didn't know I'd be dueling you so I had no chance to add for any sort of anti spell caster support or anything."

Hikaru drew five cards. "Don't worry about that. It wouldn't have bothered me anyway." She looked over her hand quickly. "You want the first turn or should I take it?"

Lo drew a sixth card. "I guess I'll surprise you with something amazing." She lifted her Duel Disk high for dramatic effect.

"Hey, your Disk is longer than average." Hikaru commented.

"Bingo. I play the Scale 8 TSGR Dusk Magician!" A dazzling array of light materialized on her field. From that light a robed man emerged. He looked much like the Dark Magician in black armor rather than purple. He had the same pointed hat and the same staff, but his clothes were mostly black save for white lines spiraling around.

A column of blue light engulfed the Magician as he rose into the sky. A giant number 8 appeared before him.

"What the?" Hikaru watched in amazement.

**~xXx~**

Cadence waited patiently for the door to creep open. She leaned against the back wall, fanning herself with her hand. Her stomach grumbled. Oh how she wished she eating a few more morsel of food! But she knew that her sensitive stomach would not have been pleased either way. Too little and she'd be hungry. Too much and she'd have a tummy ache.

She took off her blazer and quickly folded it up before wrapping it around her neck like a scarf. _'Perhaps I could have this altered to make it more scarf like. Oh I do hate how this clashes with my wardrobe no matter how hard I try. Perhaps that is a sign of my fault for being unable to work with what I am given. No. One simply cannot turn a sow's ear into a silk purse._

'_Oh bother I'm simply distracting myself from the situation at hand.'_

A young boy shyly entered. His white bangs fell in front of his eyes so he brushed them away. "Oh, hello again, Hisashi," said Cadence politely. "What fine fortune to be paired with someone I've met before, even though we don't know each other very well."

"Oh, you're Naota's friend from this morning. I'm sorry Jamison was so rude. He's really a nice person. He's just not feeling well right now," Hisashi insisted. "Sorry, I hope I haven't been keeping you waiting for very long."

"No of course not. This time gave me a chance to calm my nerves. I myself am feeling quite excited yet anxious about my, forgive me, _our_ match." She let out a deep breath. "Truth be told I nearly left to visit the nurse. It seems my time at Akimoto Academy will be more taxing than I ever imagined. But I've already made good friends, so it shall be worth it.

"Let's see if I can make another one today."

Hisashi and Cadence faced each other, smiling politely. "It's time to duel."

Both players drew five cards. Cadence looked over her hand and smiled. _'There's no need to be nervous Cadence,'_she told herself. _'There's no need to be so nervous.'_

"Are you okay?" Hisashi asked.

"Just a bit nervous as I have said. Please do not worry about it. I shall be fine once this duel is over. Win or lose I'll know where I stand." Cadence examined her hand once more. _'You can do this Cadence.'_

_The young woman smiled. "My turn, I'll draw a card," she announced. "I summon Midnight Servant- Footman in defense mode!" (500/500) A young man in a suit and vest appeared on the field. He had short brown hair and an innocent appearance. And bunny ears. He also had bunny eras flopping about on top his head. "When he is summoned I can add a Midnight Soiree Ritual card from my deck to my hand, so I'm grabbing Midnight Soiree Grand Feast! I'll set one card and end my turn!" __**[Cadence: 5 Cards]**_

"A ritual deck?" Hisashi asked.

"Yes, but not just any Rituals. Originally Ritual Cards had a one for one rule. Black Luster Ritual brought forth Black Luster Soldier. Black Magic Ritual brought forth Magician of Black Chaos. And that was all they did.

"Then we got flexible. Contract with the Abyss let you summon any Dark Ritual Monster. Advanced Ritual Art let you summon any Ritual Monster by using Normal Monsters from your deck.

"Then ritual Spells started getting their own effects that let them do cool things.

"My deck revolves around the Midnight servants who are preparing a grand party for the Midnight Kings. There are five Kings and five Rituals. Any ritual can summon any King. But if the right one is used, then I get a bonus effect.  
>Hisashi drew a sixth card.<p>

"I activate Soul Absorption. Whenever a card is banished I gain 500 Life Points per card. And I summon Faiden Heartbreak from my hand." (1500/1000) A young person with ghostly brown skin appeared on the field. They wore a tattered red robe and had simple short hair framing their beautiful yet sad face. "When they're summoned I can banish 1 monster on the field until the End Phase. So say goodbye to your Servant."

Footman vanished in a beam of light as Hisashi gained Life Points.

**Hisashi: 4500**

"I equip my Heartbreak with Faded Light and Afterimage. Now I'll attack you directly." Hisashi snapped his fingers as Heartbreak flew toward Cadence and phased through her.

**Cadence: 2500**

"Faded Light's effect activates and it gets 1 Faded Counter. Then, I banish 1 Card face down from the top of your deck for every Faded Counter on it. So that's one card!"

**Hisashi: 5000**

"Not bad. That card seems to have great potential and I'm quite excited to see what else you have." Cadence said with a smirk. "Hopefully we can both do our best to impress the teachers."

"Afterimage's effect activates. The equipped monster can perform a second attack, however, all battle damage is reduced by half." Hisashi smiled as his Faiden phased through Cadence once more. "Then faded Light gains another counter and banishes two card from your deck!"

**Hisashi: 6000**

**Cadence: 1750**

"I'll set two cards and end my turn." Hisashi announced.

"At this moment my Footman (500/500) is returned to me and I can add another Midnight Soiree to my hand. So I'm adding Midnight Soiree Concert Show to my hand." **[Cadence: 6 Cards] **"I also activate my face down Solemn Wishes, granting me 500 life Points whenever I draw a card." She drew her next card and smiled.

**Cadence: 2250**

"I activate Midnight Gathering so that when a Ritual Monster is Special Summoned I can draw one card. Then I activate Card of Safe Return. When a monster is Special Summoned from my graveyard, I can draw a card." **[Cadence: 5 Cards]**

"I activate Midnight Soiree Grand feast. By tributing two monsters in my hand I can Ritual Summon a Midnight King." Two well-dressed bunny eared monsters from her hand materialized on the field before an inferno engulfed them.

"Scorching flames burning hot as Hell accept this offering and prepare for us a feast beyond imagination. Ritual Summon- Midnight King Rin the Inferno!" (2800/1800) Another young bunny man appeared on the field. He wielded a giant chef knife the size of a katana. "When he is Ritual Summoned with grand feast, you take 1000 damage!"

Scorching flames raged forth and engulfed Hisashi.

**Hisashi: 5000**

"Next, Midnight gathering allows me to draw a card. Solemn Wishes, of course, allows me to gain 500 Life Points from this."

**Cadence: 2750**

"I'll activate Midnight Soiree Concert Show to Ritual Summon Midnight King Zero the Absolute using the monsters on the field." Waves splashed forth and carried her monsters away, bringing forth a new one. (2000/2000) he had bunny ears atop short brown hair and bright purple eyes hidden behind glasses.

"Normally he lets me see your hand, but you have no cards. Oh well." Cadence drew a card. "Midnight Gathering and Solemn Wishes activate!" **[Cadence: 1 card]**

**Cadence: 3250**

"I'll use Zero's other effect. He can let me peak at up to two face down cards each turn. So let's see those two set cards of yours." A symbol like a red bird flew forth and embedded itself on the two cards, revealing them for a split second. Cadence smirked. "Mirror Force and Magic Cylinder. Classics. I wish I had Nikki to destroy them with."

Cadence grabbed her last card. "Monster reborn brings back Rin. And since a ritual monster was Special Summoned from my graveyard, Midnight Gathering and Card of Safe return both activate and they both trigger Solemn Wishes!" **[Cadence: 2 Cards]**

**Cadence: 4250**

"Next I use Gift of the Martyr! By sending Zero to the graveyard, Rin gains his Attack points until the turn ends. Next I activate Ritual Reborn. This card is just like Monster Reborn, but ritual specific. To use it I must control another Ritual Monster or pay 1000 Life Points. So come on back, Zero!" (2000/2000)

"So you draw two new cards and gain Life Points."

Cadence closed her eyes in prayer and reached for her new cards. **[Cadence: 2 Cards]**

**Cadence: 5250**

"I activate Midnight Soiree-Opening Ceremony to tribute Zero and bring forth a new Midnight King. Gathering of the ohhh I'm too excited to think of a good one. Ritual Summon Midnight King- Nikki the Musician!" (2500/2000) A red haired man bunny man appeared on the field. He had a vibrant red visual kei outfit and a red guitar.

"I DRAW!" **[Cadence: 1 Card]**

**Cadence: 5750**

"I activate Midnight Encore. I can activate this card only if I control Nikki. I target one other Midnight King I control. This turn he can attack once each for all Midnight Kings I control, but no other monsters can attack. Then, during the end phase, all my monsters are banishes. So go, Rin, attack his Faiden Heartbreak."

Rin swung his knife and sent a wave of flames raging forth. "His effect prevents you from activating Spell or Trap Cards!" Faiden Heartbreak shattered in the bright fires.

**Hisashi: 1700**

"Now attack directly." Cadence commanded. Her monster charged forward and lightly slashed at Hisashi, bringing the duel to an end.

**Hisashi: 0**

"That was amazing, Cadence. Your deck has a lot of draw power," Hisashi exclaimed. "I wish I could have seen the last two kings though."

"Maybe one day we can duel again."

**~xXx~**

Hikaru stared Loaño in amazement.

"My Duel Disk is larger because it needs to accommodate the two Pendulum Zones," Loaño explained. "And now that I have Dusk Magician in the Pendulum Zone, he transforms from a Monster Card into a Spell Card." She pointed to her robed wizard. "They can be played as regular Monsters or used this way. So I activate his Pendulum Effect. By discarding a spell from my hand I can excavate cards equal to the number of Pendulum Monster on the field. I can then take 1 Pendulum Monster I've excavated and place it in my Pendulum Zone, destroying anything there in the process. Afterwards, all my other excavated cards are shuffled back into my deck."

Loaño excavated a single card. "I play TSGR Radiant Eyes Dawn Dragon in my other Pendulum Zone to set the scale at 1." A majestic dragon with white scales appeared in a column of blue light. He rose into the sky to join his comrade.

"Dark Magician and Blue Eyes? Pretty cool. Although you'd think a card inspired by Blue Eyes would have a higher Pendulum Scale then 1." Hikaru commented.

"Well, bigger isn't always better with Pendulum Monsters. You want one high and one low to set the scale for a wide swing." Loaño smirked. "Now that the scale is set I can perform a Pendulum Summon." A crystal appeared in the sky swinging back and forth as it etched a magic circle upon the air.

"Divine Guardians of Light and Darkness open the path forward to a new tomorrow. Open the doors of courage into an unseen future. Pendulum Summon!" She grabbed three cards from her hand. "TSGR Celtic Holy Guard (1400/1200) TSGR Dawn Gaia (2300/2100) and TSGR Rage Eyes Nocturne Dragon (2400/2000)!"

Hikaru gasped as the three monsters appeared on the field simultaneously. A blond elf in white armor with a blue cape. A knight in shining white armor atop the back of a black furred horse. And a ferocious looking black dragon. "But how?"

"Once per turn if I control two Pendulum Monsters in my Pendulum Zone, I can perform a Pendulum Summon. Since the scales are at 1 and 8, I can call forth monsters whose levels are in between. So I can play Level 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 monsters with a Pendulum Summon, but not 1 or 8."

Loaño smiled. "So now my army of light and darkness has gathered before me. These are my cards. Twilight Soldier Guardian Redux!" She reached for her last card. "I'll set this and end my turn." Her Duel Disk spat out an extra card for her. **[Loaño: 1 card.]**"Radiant Eyes has an effect that kicks in when my turn ends. I get to draw a card for every Dragon I've Pendulum Summoned from my hand this turn!"

"So you're implying that you can Pendulum Summon from elsewhere as well?" Hikaru asked.

"You'll see."

Hikaru drew a card. **[Hikaru: 6 Cards.]**"I Normal Summon Maho Shojou Emi!" (1200/800) A girl with short black hair appeared on the field. She wore a blue and white sailor skirt uniform with a long blue cape. "Whenever she's summoned I can draw a card. Next I'll activate Magical Dimension. Since I control a Spellcaster I may tribute one monster I control to bring forth a Spellcaster from my hand." A magical sarcophagus rose onto the field and opened up. Emi hopped in for a second before it slammed shut. In an instant it opened again to reveal a girl with longer black hair and a red capeless version of Emi's outfit. "Come forth, Maho Shojou Nagi!" (1600/1000) Hikaru grinned. Then I destroy a monster on the field! So say goodbye to your dragon!"

Nagi shot forth a stream of flames that engulfed the dragon and raced forward toward Loaño. "Nagi's effect inflicts 600 Damage whenever one of your monsters is destroyed by a Spell!"

**Loaño: 3400**

"Next I activate Magical Runes!" Hikaru announced as Nagi vanished. "If I control a Spellcaster on the field, I may tribute a monster I control to revive a Spellcaster in the graveyard. So come on out, Emi!" (1200/800) Hikaru drew a card. "Now, I can destroy a Spell or Trap on the field. So say goodbye to TSGR Radiant Eyes Dawn Dragon!"

Radiant Eyes Dawn Dragon let out a howl as the column shattered and she vanished.

"I'll activate Monster Reborn to bring back" in a flash of light, Nagi reappeared on the field. "What the heck? I didn't want to summon her."

"Sorry, but she was the only target, so the Disk must have defaulted to her," Loaño explained. "When Pendulum Monsters are destroyed, they go to the extra Deck, not the Graveyard. Monster Reborn can't bring my dragon back."

"I activate Magician's Cross. I control two Attack Position Spellcasters, so I can boost one of their attacks up to 3000 for this turn. So Emi, destroy that elf!" (3000/800) Emi, shot forth a ray of light that engulfed TSGR Celtic Light Guard!"

**Loaño: 1800**

"I activate Zenith Arc. I can draw a card for every Pendulum card destroyed this turn, up until I have as many cards as you do!" Loaño quickly drew two new cards. **[Hikaru: 3 cards. Loaño: 3 cards.]**

"I'll set two cards and end my turn!" **[Hikaru: 1 Card]**

"Wow, I wasn't expecting you to inflict so much damage that quickly." Loaño drew her next card. "I'll activate my Magician's effect and discard a spell. Now I'll excavate some cards and hope for the best!" She closed her eyes and reached for the top two cards of her deck. Her heart beat furiously. "I play TSGR Dusk Magician Girl!" A beautiful blonde girl appeared in a column of light. She rose to join her master as a large number 4 appeared. She quickly let her Disk shuffle the remaining card back.

"Since I control Dusk Magician in my other Pendulum Zone, I can activate her effect. I reduce her Pendulum Scale by 2 to raise his by 2!" The numbers flickered as they transformed and became a 2 and 10. "This effect lasts until the end of my turn!"

Loaño smiled. "Magical guardians of the darkness. Etch upon the sky the arc of shadows. Appear now! TSGR Celtic Holy Guard!" (1400/1200) "TSGR Rage Eyes Nocturne Dragon!" (2400/2000) "And TSGR Radiant Eyes Dawn Dragon!" (3000/2500)

"You just brought out all your destroyed Pendulum Monsters!" Hikaru exclaimed. "Holy shit that's amazing."

"Thanks. My deck is filled with Pendulum Monsters, though not all my cards are. So be prepared to face anything you destroy all over again when I bring it right back!" Loaño exclaimed. "First, I'll have Gaia attack Emi!"

Gaia stormed forth on his noble steed, raising his white lance high as he aimed carefully, he threw his weapon and skewered Emi before charging forward to retrieve it.

**Hikaru: 2900**

"When Gaia inflicts battle damage on the turn I've performed a Pendulum Summon, he lets me draw a card." Loano explained. **[Loaño: 4 cards]**

"Now, Rage Eyes, destroy Nagi! Hell Flare Blast" Loaño's black dragon let out a mighty roar as he shot forth a stream of flames that threatened to engulf Nagi.

"Trap Card, activate. Magical Miracle. When a Maho Shojou has been destroyed in battle and you declare an attack against another Maho Shojou, I can revive the first and negate your attack!" (1200/800) Emi reappeared on the field and shielded Nagi with a bubble of blue light, protecting her from the flames. "Emi's effect lets me draw a card." **[Hikaru: 2 cards.]**

"Radiant Eyes, use Twilight Burst to destroy Nagi!" Radiant Eyes Dawn Dragon flew into the air and shot forth a stream of energy that engulfed Nagi, shattering her with little effort. The attack pushed Hikaru back and she grunted in shock.

**Hikaru: 1500**

"Celtic Holy Guard, destroy Emi!" Loaño thrust her hand forward as her monster charged toward Hikaru's.

"I activate Magical Force- Girl Power!" Hikaru explained. "When a Maho Shojou I control is selected as an attack target, I can boost her Attack points by the Attack of one of her comrades that's fallen this turn." Emi shot out a ray of light at Holy Celtic Guard. A ghostly image of Nagi appeared behind her, lending her strength. (2800/800) She shot forth beams of light that destroyed Celtic Holy Guard.

"I activate my trap card," said Loaño. "Dispersion Blast. If a monster I control is destroyed in battle by a Monster with lower original Attack, then battle damage is negated and we take effect damage equal to half of what I would have taken!"

Blasts of energy knocked both girls backward.

**Hikaru: 800**

**Loaño: 1100**

"I'll set two cards and end my turn." Loaño announced. **[Loaño: 2 cards.]**

Hikaru drew her next card when the door suddenly swung open. Nakao entered the room holding a clip board. "Hello, sorry to interrupt the duel, but there's been a small emergency. Loano, the headmaster wishes to see you. But don't worry about the test duels. This duel will be marked as a win for both of you."

"Is everything okay?" Hikaru asked.

"Don't worry it's nothing big, we just need to discuss something important with Loaño."

Loaño gathered her cards. "Oh well, looks like I'll have to wait a bit longer to fully test these things out." She waved goodbye to Hikaru. "It was nice getting to see you." She followed Nakao out the door.

**~xXx~**

"And here we are," said Jamison as he opened the door to room 4-13. "After you."

"T-thank you." Naota said as she stepped inside. She looked around at the empty room. A video camera hung from one of the white walls. A projector screen adorned the back wall. Other than that everything seemed empty and lifeless. She took a step forward and dropped her cards on the ground.

Jamison bent over to help pick them up. He handed them off to Naota, trying not to look. "T-thanks," she said as she grabbed the cards from Jamison.

A few face ups cards caught Jamison's eye. "LaMoon? That's a really old card. Completely outdated. Nowhere near enough attack for a 5 Star Monster and no effect. Lunar Queen Elzaim? You must really like the moon to build a deck that includes these cards. You using moon cards or something."

"Yeah, the Lunarians. They're my main archetype but I splashed these in for reasons. I'm really looking forward to seeing your cards. I'm sure they're spectacular."

"Whatever. Like I said. They're nothing new," Jamison sighed as he shut the door behind him.

"Remove Trap." Naota said sternly. "It destroys one face up trap card on the field. Then came Mystical Space Typhoon. It could destroy spells or traps whether they were face up or face down. It was nothing new, but it was an improvement. And there's Galaxy Cyclone. It has some disadvantages but it's basically the same card but with an interesting twist."

"You're my opponent. You aren't supposed to be trying to cheer me up," said Jamison. "Now, do you want the first move or should I go?"

"I don't care," said Jamison. "Whatever."

"…"

"My deck is really aggressive so getting to attack first is probably going to give me the advantage," said Jamison. "You're probably better off getting to react to my cards so you know. Whatever."

"I'll take the first move," Naota said with a smile. She drew six cards. "I play Lunarian Rabbit in defense mode." (400/800) A cute white rabbit in a red dress materialized at Naota's feet. She smiled at the bunny as it hopped around. "I set one card and end my turn." **[Naota: 4 cards.]**

Jamison drew a card. With a smirk he slapped a card onto his Duel Disk. "I summon Darkfae Elysia." (2400/1500) Mist gathered around and formed into a woman with brown skin and long flowing pale green hair. She had butterfly wings and wore a red robe that seemed to be made of mist itself. She stared at Naota with haunting green eyes.

"Oh cool. You're using a beat down deck? Is it the same basic strategy as Skill Drain but with cooler monsters?" Naota asked.

"I uhhh." Jamison shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm not telling. Elysia is a Level 6 Monster, but I can Normal Summon her without a tribute. If I do that then her defense is reduced by 1500." (2400/0)

"And no level drop? Sounds like she'd be splashable in some Synchro and Xyz decks!" Naota said. _'But why a reduced by effect. As opposed to saying it becomes 0?'_

"I suppose." Jamison sighed. "If she attacks, she gets switched to defense during the End Phase. So she's just like Goblin Attack Force in that sense. However, I am able to switch her back to attack mode on the next turn. In exchange, if you happen to attack her, I receive piercing damage."

"Sounds risky but fun," Naota said.

"Go, Darkfae Elysia, attack that rabbit." Jamison commanded. His monster raised her arms and summoned forth a dark aura that spiraled through the air. Beams of darkness surrounded Lunarian Rabbit, destroying her in an instant. "I set one card and end my turn." Elysia crouched to the ground, holding herself tightly. **[Jamison: 4 Cards.]**

Naota smiled as she drew. "I'll open with Pot of Greed to draw two cards! Then, I activate Monster Reborn. This card lets me revive my Lunarian Rabbit in Defense Mode." (400/800) "Now I activate her effect. As long as this card was not Normal Summoned this turn then once per turn I may Special Summon a second Lunarian Rabbit from my hand, deck, or removed from play zone." A beam of light fell upon the field and formed into a second rabbit. (400/800) "However, I can only use one Lunarian Rabbit's effect each turn."

"So, what now. You gonna overlay them?" Jamison asked.

Naota shook her head. "I don't have any Xyz Monsters. So Instead I summon Lunarian Bull!" (1800/900) A black bull in a red jacket charged onto the field in a ray of light.

"Huh? I was expecting something cuter from you," Jamison commented.

"Well, I didn't draw these so I'll take what I can get," said Naota. "I activate his effect to banish one spell in my grave. This card gains 300 Attack and piercing until the turn ends!" Lunarian Bull's horns began to glow red as his strength climbed up. (2100/900) "Next I activate my face down card Lunar Light Showdown. This turn, one Lunarian Monster I control gains 300 Attack points for every Lunarian I control. So that's 900 extra Attack!" (3000/900) "Enough to destroy your Darkfae even if she gets switched to Attack Position. Go, Lunarian Bull, attack his Elysia."

Lunarian Bull charged forward, stampeding toward Jamison's monster. Jamison merely smirked as he snapped his fingers. "Trap Card activate, REVERSE TRAP!" A black monster with sharp teeth materialized on the field. His red and green robes fluttered in the wind. "All Addition and Subtraction based effects are reversed for this turn."

Lunarian Bull slowed down as a heavy mist surrounded him. (600/900) He rammed into the now glowing Darkfae Elysia (2400/3000) only to be knocked backward straight into Naota, knocking the young girl off her feet.

**Naota: 1600**

"I was worried I wouldn't be able to get away with that. Seeing as the wording was so unusual. I thought for sure they'd make me change it to _this card's defense becomes 0."_Jamison chuckled.

"I set one card and end my turn," said Naota. **[Naota: 3 cards.]**

Jamison drew a card and smirked. "I summon Darkfae Zeronica!" (2200/0) "She loses 300 Attack for every card in my Graveyard." (1900/0) Jamison's new monster materialized. She wore a jet black gown that contrasted her pale white skin. Long flowing white hair spilled down her back. "I equip her with Sinmetal Darkpride Sword. This card negates her effect but gives her 600 Attack Points and a piercing effect." (2800/0) A jagged dark sword materialized before Darkfae Zeronica. She grabbed it in one hand and a dark aura surrounded her. "Next I equip Elysia with Sinmetal Darkwrath Claymore!" A large oversized sword fell from above. Elysia caught it with both hand. (3000/0) "She gains 600 Attack Points. In, if she is switched to Defense Mode, this card will destroy itself to switch her back into Attack Mode!"

"Sinmetals sound cool. So is there one each for the seven deadly sins?" Naota guessed.

"No. Theoretically there should be but I'm still working on them. And when they're complete, they'll be able to open the portal to Hell and welcome forth the Dreadbeast Saligia. But for now you're safe. Well, as safe as you can be with two ravenous fairies waiting to tear into you.

"Zeronica, destroy his Rabbit." Jamison snapped his fingers. Darkfae Zeronica flew forth on the dark winds, her sword drew shrieking sparks across the classroom floor. She sliced through Naota's rabbit with ease. "I hope you have a trap to protect your Life Points or that's game."

"I activate my trap card Lunarian Full Moon. This Trap Card negates all damage I receive from one battle with a Lunarian. Then it lets me draw a card. If it's a spell I can reveal it to draw another card." Naota turned her new card to Jamison. "Holy Polymerization." She drew a second card. **[Naota: 5 cards.]**

"You aren't safe yet. Elysia, take care of that bull!" Elysia slammed her Claymore into the ground and a wave of darkness gushed forth to destroy the bull. Naota let out a cry as she quickly placed a card in her Duel Disk. "I use the effect of Starlight Kuriboh. I can discard this card when I would take damage. I gain Life Points instead of taking that much damage. However, I need to discard a spell in order to use his effect."

**Naota: 2800 [3 Cards]**

Jamison clicked his tongue. "I end my turn." **[Jamison: 2 Cards]** Darkness overcame Sinmetal Darkwrath Claymore as its host began kneeling to the ground. Darkfae Elysia forced herself to stand as the Claymore shattered. (2400/0) It unleashed streams of darkness that ran across the field and struck both players. It knocked Jamison back and knocked Naota to the ground.

"When the Claymore is destroyed by its own effect, we both take 600 Damage."

**Naota: 2200**

**Jamison: 3400**

"My turn," Naota drew a card. "Okay I summon Lunar Queen Elzaim to my field!" (750/1100) A winged girl with fair skin, pointed ears, an orange dress, and long brown hair descended upon the field. "I activate Holy Polymerization to banish her and the Lunarian Rabbit on my field so that I my Fusion Summon Lunarian Priestess in attack mode!" (2500/2100) "Next, I activate Holy Polymerization's second effect, allowing it to banish itself!"

Naota welcomed his new monster, a young woman with long black hair and beautiful brown skin. She wore an elegant red kimono.

Naota smiled. "Now for Lunarian Priestess' first effect. I can banish 1 Spell in my graveyard to target one card on the field and negate its effect for the rest of the turn. So I'm negating your Sinmetal Darkpride Sword!" Darkfae Zeronica lost her boost. (1200/0) She looked around as her face twisted in disgust.

"Go, Lunarian Priestess, attack Zeronica!" The priestess held forth her hand and dancing rays of light blasted at the fairy.

**Jamison: 2100**

"When she destroys a monster in battle, Lunarian Priestess inflicts 200 damage for each spell I've banished. And I've banished three!" More rays of light shot forth, knocking Jamison off his feet.

**Jamison: 1500**

"So, you fuse some old ass moon monsters with Lunarians and get ass kickers. Man, this is a drag for me." Jamison commented.

"I set one card and end my turn." **[Naota: 1 card]**

Jamison drew. "I guess I'll set this card and activate Sinmetal Darklust Spear!" A long white spear short forth from the ground into Elysia's hands. "The equipped monster gains 600 Attack points during my battle phase only. And if it destroys a monster in battle, we both take 600 Damage." Jamison smiled. "This is an act of desperation, but please, Elysia, destroy the Priestess." Elysia flew forward and impaled her target with ease. (3000/0)

**Naota: 1700**

Darkness shot forth from the spear and impaled both players.

**Naota: 1100**

**Jamison: 900**

"I end my turn," said Jamison. **[Jamison: 1 Card.]**Elysia switched to defense mode, holding the spear tightly. (2400/0)

Naota smiled as she drew her card. "If Holy Polymerization is banished, I can reveal any spell drawn during the draw phase to add it to my hand. And I just drew Pot of Light." Naota revealed the spell card fate had just delivered. "I'll activate my Pot of Light. When I only control Light monsters and I have more Life Points than you, I can draw two new cards." **[Naota: 4 Cards. 1 Holy Polymerization.]**

"I'll set one card," Naota announced as a second face down card joined her first." And I'll Normal Summon Lunarian Witch!" (1200/1000) A young girl with dark brown skin and natural black hair appeared on the field. She wore an elegant black robe and a tiara embedded with a stunning diamond. "She gains 200 Attack and Defense for each banished spell. (1600/1400) "Attack Darkfae Elysia!"

'_If this attack connects, Elysia's effect will damage Jamison and I win.'_

The witch raised a hand and sent a stream of magic flying at Jamison.

"I activate my face down Underworld Trick!" Jamison announced. "When you attack my monster I can activate this. Your monster has its attack and defense swapped." (1400/1600) "As does mine." (0/2400) Elysia withstood the magic attack and knocked it back at Naota.

**Naota: 100**

"I end my turn," she said. **[Naota: 2 Cards. 1 Holy Polymerization.]**

"Since the targeted monster remains on my field at the end of my turn, Underworld Trick activates its other effect and returns to my hand," explained Jamison. **[Jamison: 2 Cards. 1 Underworld Trick.]**

"That's a really cool card. It'll fit great with Goblin Attack Force decks," said Naota.

"Not really, once you get Skill Drain it's useless,' said Jamison.

"But don't good duelists need backups? What if Skill Drain gets destroyed?"

Jamison just rolled his eyes. "My turn, I draw." He announced as his hand went up to three cards. "I place Elysia in Attack Position," he announced. "I'll set two cards and Normal Summon Darkfae Altonix!" (3000/0) Another magical looking fairy women appeared. She had dark green skin and wore a long red dress that sprawled out on the ground. Leaves and twigs grew from her beautiful black hair, cascading down her back to her waist. Beautiful translucent butterfly wings fluttered behind her. (2000/0) "She's Level 8, but I can summon her without a Tribute. She loses 1000 Attack points as a result." **[Jamison: 0 cards.]**

Jamison snapped his fingers. "I enter my battle phase. Darklust Spear boosts Elysia's attack!" (3000/0) Elysia will attack your Witch!" Moving like a storm, Elysia channeled her magic into the spear, blending it with the weapon's innate darkness. She charged through the air toward the young witch, thrusting her spear at her target.

"Floral Shield negates your attack and gives me a new card!" Naota cried. **[Naota: 3 Cards 1 Holy Polymerization.]**

Elysia's spear met with a whirlwind of petals. Try as she might she could not push past the barrier. She twirled her spear behind her and returned to her position.

"Finish her, Altonix!"

Altonix snapped her finger and a rolling storm of autumn leaves rushed toward Lunarian witch, knocking her through the air as they tore her to ribbons.

"Lunarian Rainbow will boost my targeted Lunarian's Attack by 100 points times her level!" (1900/1400) "And all Battle Damage from this battle is halved!"

**Naota: 50**

The leaves tore past the witch and knocked Naota onto the ground. She yelped as she collapsed, but kept smiling. "Any last moves this turn?" She asked as she pushed against her knees and rose upward.

"I end my turn."

Naota drew her card. "It's do or die!" **[Naota-4 cards 1 Holy Polymerization.]**"I activate Lunarising. By targeting two banished spells I can add them back to my deck and draw two new cards." **[Naota-5 cards 1 Holy Polymerization.]**

"I might as well activate Appropriate. Whenever you draw outside of your draw phase, I get two cards of my own." **[Jamison: 2 Cards.]**

Naota looked over her new hand. "I activate Holy Polymerization to fuse Cosmo Queen with Maiden of the Moonlight and Moon envoy to bring out my ultimate card. Gathering forces of Moon and Space, entwine in holy moonlight. Bring forth the princess of all eternity. FUSION SUMMON! Moonlight Legend Princess Kaguya!" (0/0)

A beautiful maiden descended upon the battle field with long flowing black hair. She wore a pink robe that shimmered like moonlight. "She gains 1200 Attack and Defense Points for each Fusion Material used from my hand and field!" (3600/3600) "Attack Elysia!"

Kaguya shot three blades of crescent shaped energy at Elysia.

**Jamison: 300**

"Darklust Spear halves all Battle Damage when the equipped monster is destroyed. Because lust hurts everyone involved yet feels so good. Too bad, you should have attacked the weaker target for more damage." Jamison taunted. "Not like it matters much anyway. I've got jack to fight that thing with. I forfeit." He said as he turned to walk away.

**[Naota: 1 Card]**

"Hold it!" Naota protested. "At least draw your next card. Who knows what it could be? Maybe it will turn this whole duel around. Don't you have any faith in your deck?"

"Faith in my deck?" Jamison asked. "What the Hell are you talking about?"

"Trust in your deck and see what happens!"

"Fine, I'll humor you." He drew a card. Jamison let out a groan. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two new cards," Jamison announced as he looked at his last hope. "Darkfae Burst negates the effects of all Darkfae Monsters and gives them 200 Attack Points for each Darkfae I control." Altonix felt invigorated as the darkness fed her. (3200/0) "At least, until the end phase."

"I can't beat your monster yet. If it attacks mine I lose the game. But if I can increase my monster's attack by more than 400 points I can beat it. Just 450 to win.

"Fine, Naota. Let's see what this fate in your deck is all about. I activate Sinmetal Darkgreed Lance!" A dark black lance appeared in his monster's hand. "When the equipped monster attacks, we both draw a card. In addition, whenever I draw a Level 6 or Higher Monster, by this card's effect or not, I reveal it. Then, the equipped monster gains 600 Attack Points until the endphase."

"ATTACK!"

Naota's heart skipped a beat as Altonix charged toward Kaguya. Her spear began to glow. Kaguya raised her hands and shot forth her crescent beams of energy. Naota lost her breath as both Duel Disks spat out cards for their owners.

"Appropriate activates, since you drew a card, I can draw two more!"

The attacks collided and let out a loud boom that hid all noise. Smoke filled the air. Naota heard the sound of somebody's Life Points trickling then hitting 0 with a familiar beep. But with the smoke still in the air, she couldn't tell who.

Naota waited as the smoke cleared. She could just barely make out the faint silhouette of a woman.

Kaguya smiled back at her.

**Naota: 50**

**Jamison: 0**

"Three spell cards. Faith in my deck huh?" Jamison chuckled. "Whatever, later." He stared at the ground as he walked past Naota, refusing to make eye contact.

"That was a fun duel!" She said. "I really liked your cards."

The door slammed shut behind Jamison.

**~xXx~Original Card Gallery~xXx~**

Special Note: Most of Cadence's card were created by her owner Arcana Force XIII Thanatos and I'll just copy and paste his descriptions.

**Midnight Servant Footman**

Dark/Warrior

(3) 500/500

When this card is summoned to the field, add one Midnight King Ritual spell card to your hand. If this card is attacked by your opponent's monster, discard one card from your hand to negate the attack. Each effect of Butler can only be used once per turn.

_A slightly younger Servant than the others, dressed in a full suit and vest combo, though he is missing the black jacket. He's got short brown hair, and an innocent look in his eyes. Actually seems to be just a regular butler?_

**Midnight Soiree Grand Feast**

Ritual

Ritual Summon one Midnight King monster in your hand using monsters on your side of the field or hand. When this card is discarded from your hand, discard two cards form your opponent's hand.

**Midnight Soiree Concert Show**

Ritual

Ritual Summon one Midnight King Ritual monster in your hand using monsters in your hand or field as the tributes. If this card is destroyed, return it to your hand and add one Midnight King from your deck to your hand.

**Midnight Soiree Opening Ceremony**

Ritual

Ritual Summon one Midnight King monster in your hand using monsters in your hand or on the field whose total star level equals that monster's star level, or more. You can remove this card in your graveyard form play, draw one card from your deck.

**Midnight King Rin the Inferno**

Fire/Fiend/Ritual

(7) 2800/1800

When this card Ritual Summoned using Midnight Soiree, Grand Feast inflict 1000 points of damage to your opponent. When this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate spell or trap cards. When you discard a card from your hand, inflict 500 points of damage to your opponent. Double this damage if the card was a Midnight Servant. This card must attack each turn, if able.

_The leader of the culinary force for the Midnight Kings with the rank of chef, as well as an accomplished demolitions and battle expert. He fights using a massive chef knife with the proportions of a katana, and the powerful flames he spawns from it. A sweet guy for the most part, but he's got quite the temper. He wears a black chef uniform with a red neckerchief and has very dark blue hair._

**Midnight King Zero the Absolute**

Wind/Fairy/Ritual

(8) 2000/2000

When this card is ritual summoned using Midnight Soiree, Complete Itinerary you may shuffle the monsters used for this ritual summon into your deck, then draw an equal number of cards. While this card is face up on the field, your opponent must play with their hand revealed. Twice per turn, you may look at one face down card your opponent controls. During your draw phase, you may look at the card before you draw, and place it on the bottom of your deck or return it to the top of your deck.

_The youngest Midnight King by far, he seems around 16. With short cut brown hair and bright purple eyes gleaming from behind a pair of glasses, nothing escapes his all seeing eyes. A mathematical genius in charge of organization, finances, and black market dealings. Rather than a magical tome, he carries with him a magical cell phone which he uses to record his analytical findings._

**Midnight King Nikki the Musician**

Water/Aqua/Ritual

(8) 2500/2000

When this card is summon by Midnight Soiree, Concert Show you may destroy up to two spell or trap cards on the field. When this card attack, select one spell or trap card on the field and destroy it.

_A tall Midnight King with pale skin and crimson red hair and ears, wearing a vibrant and sparkling red visual kei outfit. He carried his guitar with him at all times, which he strums and plays for his effects. A fun loving guy who loves a good drink (or ten), nevertheless he always take his performances seriously._

**Midnight Gathering**

Continuous Spell

Whenever a monster is Ritual Summoned you may draw 1 Card.

_Black Luster Soldier and Magician of Black Chaos appear beneath the full moon._

**Midnight Encore**

Spell

Activate only if you control a Midnight King Nikki the Musician. Target 1 other Midnight King you control. This turn it can attack once for each midnight King you control. Other monsters may not attack this turn. Halve all damage from direct attacks.

_Nikki performs for Zero and Rin as they charge forward,_

**Ritual Reborn**

Spell

Special Summon 1 Ritual Monster from your graveyard. If you do not control another Ritual monster, you must pay 1000 life Points to activate this card.

_Magician of Black Chaos rises from a grave,_

**Faiden Heartbreak**

Dark/Fairy

(4) 1500/1000

When this card is Summoned you may target 1 Monster on the field. Banish it until the end phase.

_A young person with ghostly brown skin. They wear a tattered red robe and has simple short hair framing their beautiful yet sad face._

**After Image**

Equip spell

Equip only to a Faiden monster you control. It can attack twice, but battle damage from the second attack is reduced by half.

_Faiden Heartbreak with a series of after images behind them._

**Faded Light**

Equip

Equip only to a faiden you control. When it inflicts battle damage to your opponent, add 1 faded Counter to this card. Then, banish 1 card face down from the top of your opponent's deck for each Faded Counter on this card.

_Faiden Heartbreak standing in very dim light._

**Lunarian Rabbit**

Light/Beast

(3) 800/400

Once per turn you may Special Summon a Lunarian Rabbit from your hand or deck. You may only activate the effect of 1 Lunarian Rabbit per turn. You may not activate this effect the turn it is Normal Summoned.

_A cute rabbit in a red dress._

**Lunar Light Showdown**

Quickplay Spell

Target 1 Lunarian monster you control. It gains 300 Attack Points for every Lunarian you control.

_Kaguya is surrounded by three rabbits and wolf as they face an unseen opponent in the moonlight._

Moonlight Legend Princess Kaguya

Light/Spellcaster/Fusion

1 Cosmo Queen + 1 or More Lunar Queen Elzaim, Maiden of the Moonlight, Moon Envoy, or LaMoon

This card gains 1200 Attack and Defense Points for every Fusion Material Monster with a different name used to summon it. This card can perform 1 extra attack during each battle phase for every Impossible Request you control. If you control 5 Impossible Request cards with different names, you win the duel.

_A beautiful with long flowing black hair and a pink robe that shimmers like moonlight_

**Lunarian Full Moon**

Trap

Negate all damage from one battle involving a Lunarian Monster you control. Draw 1 card. If it is a spell you may reveal it to draw 1 more card.

_A full Moon in the night sky._

**Lunarian Bull**

Light/Beast

(4) 1800/900

Once per turn you may banish a spell in your Graveyard. Until the end phase of this turn this card gains 300 Attack points and a piercing effect.

_A bull in a red_

**Starlight Kuriboh**

Light/Fairy

(1) 300/200

When you would take damage you may discard this card from your hand along with 1 Spell. Negate the damage and gain that many Life Points.

_A white furred Kuriboh with red wings._

**Holy Polymerization**

Spell

Fuse 1 Light Monster by banishing the monsters from your field or graveyard. You may banish this card from your graveyard. If this card is banished and you draw a spell card during your Draw Phase, you may reveal it to add this card to your hand.

**Lunarian Witch**

Light/Spellcaster

(3) 1200/1000

This card gains 200 Attack and Defense for each of your banished spells.

_A young girl with dark brown skin and natural black hair. She wears an elegant black robe and a tiara embedded with a stunning diamond._

**Lunarian Priestess**

Light/Spellcaster/Fusion

Lunar Queen Elzaim + 1 Lunarian Monster

(7) 2500/2100

Once per turn you may banish a spell in your Graveyard. Target 1 card on the field and negate its effect until the end phase of this turn. If this card destroys a monster in battle inflict 200 points of damage for each of your banished spells.

_A young woman with long black hair and beautiful brown skin. She wears an elegant red kimono._

**Pot of Light**

Spell

You cannot activate this card if your opponent has more Life Points then you or you control any monster(s) that is not a Light Monster. Draw 2 cards.

_A white and blue Pot of Greed with a friendlier smile._

**Lunarian Rainbow**

Trap

Activate when a Lunarian monster you control is selected as an Attack Target. It gains 100 Attack Points x its Level. All battle Damage is halved. If it destroys the Attacking Monster in battle you may draw 1 card. If it is a spell card you may reveal it to set this card on your field.

_A rainbow coming from the moon in the night sky._

**Lunarising**

Spell

Return to banished spells to your deck and draw 2 Cards. You cannot activate this card if you control a Fire, Water, Earth, or Wind monster.

**Darkfae Elysia**

Dark/Fairy

(6) 2400/1500

You may summon this card without a tribute, but if you do then this card loses 1500 defense. If this card attacks, switch it to defense Position during the End Phase. If this Defense Position monster is destroyed in battle, you receive piercing damage.

_A woman with brown skin and long flowing pale green hair. She has butterfly wings and wore a red robe that seemed to be made of mist itself_

**Darkfae Zeronica**

Dark/Fairy

(4) 2200/0

This card loses 300 Attack points for every card in your graveyard.

_A fairy woman with jet black gown that contrasts her pale white skin. Long flowing white hair spills down her back._

**Darkfae Altonix**

Dark/Fairy

(8) 3000/0

You may summon this card without a tribute. If you do, it loses 1000 Attack points.

_A magical looking fairy women appeared. She has dark green skin and wears a long red dress that sprawls out on the ground. Leaves and twigs grow from her beautiful black hair, cascading down her back to her waist. Beautiful translucent butterfly wings flutter behind her._

**Darkfae Burst**

Spell

Until the End Phase of this turn, all Darkfae monsters have their effects negated and their Attack Points increased by 200 for each Darkfae you control.

**Underworld Trick**

Trap

Activate when your opponent declares an attack on a monster you control. Switch the attacking monster's Attack and Defense and the targeted monster's Attack and Defense. If you still control the targeted monster during the endphase of this turn, you may return this card to your hand.

**Sinmetal Darkwrath Claymore**

Equip

Equip only to a Dark Monster you control. It gains 600 Attack points. If it is switched to Defense Position, destroy this card and switch the equipped monster to Attack Position. Then, inflict 600 damage to both players.

_A huge claymore radiating with dark energy._

**Sinmetal Darkpride Sword**

Equip

Equip only to a Dark Monster you control. It gains 600 Attack Points and inflicts piercing damage but its effect is negated. If the equipped monster inflicts battle damage, you may destroy this card. Inflict an equal amount of battle Damage to both players.

_A jagged black sword radiating with dark energy._

**Sinmetal Darklust Spear**

Equip

Equip only to a Dark Monster you control. The equipped monster gains 600 Attack points during your Battle Phase. If it destroys a monster in battle, inflict 600 points of damage to both players. If the equipped monster is destroyed in battle, you take half the Battle Damage.

_A black spear radiating with dark energy._

**Sinmetal Darkgreed Lance**

Equip

Equip only to a Dark Monster you control. When it attacks, both players draw 1 card. Whenever you draw a Level 6 or Higher Monster you may reveal it. The equipped monster gains 600 Attack points until the End Phase.

_A black lance radiating with dark energy._

**Maho Shojou Emi**

Light/Spellcaster

(4) 1200/800

When this card is summoned, draw 1 card.

_A teenage girl with short black hair, a white and blue sailor skirt uniform, and a long bue cape._

**Maho Shojou Nagi**

Fire/Spellcaster

(4) 1600/1000

_An older teenage girl with long black hair, a white and red sailor skirt uniform, surrounded by dancing flames._

**Dispersion Blast**

Trap

Activate when a monster you control is destroyed in battle by a monster with lower original attack. Negate the battle damage and inflict effect damage to both players equal to half the damage you would have taken.

_A warrior in black and white armor surrounded by an explosion._

**Magical Force-Girl Power**

Trap

If a Maho Shojou you control has been destroyed this turn you may activate this card when your opponent selects a Maho Shoujo you control as an attack target. Boost the targeted monster's Attack Points by the Original Attack of the destroyed monster.

_A young girl fights off a ferocious dragon to avenge a fallen comrade._

**Magical Runes**

Quickplay Spell

If you control a Spellcaster you may tribute 1 Monster on the Field. Special Summon 1 Spellcaster from your graveyard. Then, you may destroy 1 Spell or Trap on the field.

**Magical Miracle**

Trap

Activate when a Maho Shojou you control has been destroyed in battle this turn and your opponent declares an attack on another Maho Shojou. Special Summon the destroyed Maho Shojou and negate the attack.

_Emi appears in a flash of light._

**Zenith Arc**

Trap

Draw 1 card for every Pendulum card destroyed this turn, up until you have as many cards as your opponent.

_A young female duelist draws a new card as she stands beneath a Pendulum swinging in the clear blue sky._

**TSGR Dusk Magician**

Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum

(7) 2500/2100

Scale: [8/8]

Pendulum Effect: You cannot Pendulum Summon any monsters other than TSGR Monsters. Activate only if this card is the only card in your Pendulum Zone. Discard 1 Card from your hand. Excavate 1 Card for every Pendulum Monster on the field. Add 1 Pendulum Monster to my Pendulum Zone. Shuffle the remaining cards into your deck.

_Dark Magician in Black Armor._

**TSGR Dusk Magician Girl**

Dark/Spellcaster/Pendulum

(6) 2000/1700

Scale: [4/4]

Pendulum Effect: If you control a TSGR Dusk Magician in your other Pendulum Zone, you may reduce this card's Pendulum Scale by 2 until the end Phase and if you do, increase TSGR Dusk magician's Pendulum Scale by 2 until the end Phase.

Monster Effect: If this card would be destroyed in battle you may discard a Spell Card to negate it';s destruction. Then, you may target 1 Dark/Spellcaster Pendulum Monster in your graveyard or extra deck and add it to your Pendulum Zone.

_Dark Magician Girl in black and white armor._

**TSGR Radiant Eyes Dawn Dragon**

Light/Dragon/Pendulum

(8) 3000/2500

Scale: [1/1]

Pendulum Effect: You cannot Pendulum Summon any Monsters other than TSGR Monsters. During your End Phase, if you pendulum Summoned a Dragon Monster(s) from your hand, draw 1 card for each.

_A shiny white dragon._

**TSGR Rage Eyes Nocturne Dragon**

Dark/Dragon/Pendulum

(7) 2400/2000

Scale [5/5]

Pendulum Effect: When you Pendulum Summon a monster(s) you may target 1 monster summoned this way. Double its attack until the end phase. No other monsters may attack and battle damage is not inflicted.

_A ferocious black dragon._

**TSGR Celtic Holy Guard**

Light/Warrior/Pendulum

Scale [4/4]

Pendulum Effect: Once per turn you may negate the destruction of a Warrior Type Monster you control.

Monster Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned you may add 1 TSGR Pendulum Monster from your deck to your hand.

**TSGR Dawn Gaia**

Light/Warrior

(7) 2300/2100

If you performed a Pendulum Summon this turn and this card inflicts battle damage, draw 1 card.

_Gaia in white armor atop a black horse._

**Notes: Naota at one point gained an extra card so I had him use Pot of Greed in the rewrite. Didn't realize he already had used it. Therefore, Pot of Light was born. I'm trying to be careful about this, but accidents happen.**

**Cadence was meant to have a quick duel to show off. But Loaño's duel with Hikaru got cut short due to time constraints. I actually wrote these out of order, lol. Naota, then Lokaru, then Cadence. Hopefully all three duels were entertaining.**

**As you may have noticed, certain characters take on roles inspired by canon characters, but with plot twists.**

**Naota**- New student. Attends the Academy entrance exam and wins with a card that she received as a gift. Just like Jaden/Judai. That card even has a spirit! Except it's totally evil. Her later story also mirrors some events in Judai's story.

**Loaño**- Child of a card designer. Parents are dead. Totally based on Aster/Edo. Except not a jackass. I had a plot twist in mind buuuut apparently the GX manga beat me to it.

**Jamison**- Totally Chazz/Manjoume. Except he tries to be nice, sometimes. Will hopefully develop and be more likable later.

**?-**Johan, but straight. He shows up waaaaay later though.

**Anyway sorry this took so long. I was distracted by finals and then a cute guy. So umm yeah. Here it is. I probably won't be able to write during the summer but oh well, I hope you enjoy it.**

**Also, since I first started this chapter I have watched up to episode 53 of Arc V. 54 is downloaded so I'll watch that later. 55 is at 93%. Hopefully nothing cancels the download.**

**I'm really loving it. Although if I were in charge. I'd have made Mitchie a lancer, though I do understand the significance of having a well-known side character getting "killed" to demonstrate how serious this is.**

**Also something would happen to Yuya and the others and his mom would find out so she would go to Reiji's mom. Mieru would follow and Masumi would be there too. Yuya's mom would duel Reiji's mom and win and then they all go to the Synchro Dimension and Yuya's mom can have a Riding Duel.**


End file.
